


Butterflies & Hurricanes

by kristhaswaggerdaddy



Series: 2016 Kaisoo Birthday Fics [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Demon Hunters, Light Angst, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 21:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7730566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristhaswaggerdaddy/pseuds/kristhaswaggerdaddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongin has killed countless demons but one case makes him reconsider every fibre of his being.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. but I'm just a soul whose intentions are good

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the three fics I wrote this year for the three day kaisoo birthday celebration!! The most popular was A Certain Romance I think, while this and It Will Come Back... they could've done better, I suppose, lol. But to me, it's just an indication that they could've been written better and well, I promise to work harder. As soon as I finish Concupiscence. Yes. I don't have many ideas for this particular AU yet, but who knows? I've always been interested in ~otherworldy~ stuff and shit, so there's a very big chance that I will delve into this AU in the (hopefully) near future!

It was dark, the moon and its silvery shine hidden behind thick clouds. A fog hovered heavily over the city, white and almost opaque. Shadows crept and gripped every visible crevice greedily, effectively numbing the city’s landscape down to multiple shades of gray. At this ungodly hour of the night, only fools would ever dare to step out of the safety of their homes.

However, any fool who dared to venture into the darkness would be lucky tonight.

Jongin’s shoes clicked against the ground as he walked slowly, a hunter on the prowl. His sword was hidden under his thick coat, a hand wrapped around the hilt. He kept an eye and ear out for anything out of the ordinary, though it was hard to see through the heavy fog. It parted like a heavy curtain as he placed a foot in front of the other, the concrete path at his feet the only guide he could follow.

Jongin wasn’t the only one wandering the streets at this time, he knew. There were other things, creatures that lurked in the shadows and resided under the moon. It was his job to exterminate them, and that was exactly what he intended to do tonight.

He was waiting for that shiver to run down his spine, a spark to light his nerves up. It was how he’d know for sure that he wasn’t alone in this thick fog and that _something_ was watching him.

Some nights like these took a bit more effort than usually needed to draw demons out. They knew well enough to stay away from his territory, a small part of the city that wasn’t affected by demon activity. But Jongin wasn’t satisfied with keeping just one small part of the city demon-free.

He wanted the entire city to be clear of demons before moving on to the next one and that was why he’d taken to walking aimlessly through the city every night, passing empty buildings or apartments, just waiting for a demon to appear.

All he needed to do was hide his true nature, hold it within himself and demons would spring forth soon enough, eager to sink their claws into an innocent human being. Lucky for Jongin, he was more than human.

No sooner had he thought of that than the shiver he’d been waiting for skittered down his spine, prickly and sharp.

A demonic presence was close; Jongin would make sure that it didn’t stay a presence for much longer. Very carefully, he withdrew an inch of his sword underneath his coat from its hilt with a muffled click without missing a beat in his step, pretending as if he did not feel the presence of a demon pressing down on his senses.

As his shoes continued to click against the concrete ground, the demonic presence became heavier, oppressive and undeniably evil. It certainly wasn’t trying to hide its true nature like Jongin was; in fact, the demon was practically broadcasting its energy loud and clear so that any normal human awake at this time of the night would fall under its influence.

A human with its mind tainted by a demonic presence would experience nightmares, depressing thoughts that seem to come out of nowhere and even possession, in some extreme cases. Jongin always thought that messing with a human’s train of thought was such a small and trivial way of tricking humans; normally they’d shake it off and be on their merry way after some time, assuming it was just a one-time thing.

Then again, Jongin never really understood what amused demons.

The echo of a low chuckle bouncing from the walls of the buildings around him brought Jongin out of his thoughts.

 _Oh, this one is cocky_ , Jongin thought.

Not that there were any demons Jongin knew of to be particularly humble. He cast a feigned nervous glance around, left hand slipping out of his coat to adjust the collar over his neck. The fog revealed nothing to him; it was still and unmoving.

Regardless, Jongin walked on, ducking his head as he turned a corner. If the demon wanted to surprise him, the time was now.He took a sharp breath, expecting a demon to hit him full blast on the front.

But there was nothing.

Jongin glanced up nonchalantly, looking up at the fog before him. _Well, that’s new_ , Jongin thought. Demons weren’t very bright most of the time—

A force hit Jongin from the side, hard enough that it took his breath away as he crashed into the brick wall beside him. It wasn’t hard enough to knock him out though, and he unsheathed his sword, free hand reaching to grab the demon before it grabbed him first. Jongin dug his fingers into warm skin as he brought his sword forward and slashed at the demon’s middle, hoping to injure it badly enough to make it bleed out.

The demon gave a loud shriek of pain before it leapt backwards into the fog, its dark blood spraying from its wound. Jongin caught a glimpse of the demon before it disappeared; it had possessed the body of a man in dark clothing.

He followed the bloody trail, moving a little slower than he’d like to thanks to the fog. There were black, sluggish puddles of blood before it trailed off into little droplets and then nothing across the road. Jongin guessed that it had probably jumped to the roof of one of the buildings around him.

The question was _which one_?                                     

The buildings in this area were only five to seven storeys, easy enough for a demon or an angel like Jongin to scale. He didn’t like it when demons gave a chase, but it was his job to play cat-and-mouse with this filthy demon.

Taking a few steps back and looking up even though he couldn’t see a thing, Jongin sprinted forward towards the wall of a building. He managed to scale the five storey building with six large steps, catching the edge of the roof with his momentum before he swung himself over.

With a wound, the demon wouldn’t be able to get very far, but the fog certainly made Jongin slower than usual to react. _Tricky little piece of filth_ , Jongin scowled.

But he was an angel; fog could slow him down but it couldn’t stop him.

The stench of blood was a little more pungent to his right than his front, so he went with his instincts and followed the scent, hopping from roof to roof, glancing at his feet every so often to see if he was on the right track.

After hopping from two to three roofs, he found blood stains again and knew the demon was only somewhere ahead of him. It wouldn’t be too long before Jongin would be able to catch with it.

He was running and hopping about, head whipping from side to side to see where the demon could be when he heard a stumble from his far left and put on a burst of speed, holding up his sword. As he suspected, the demon probably succumbed to the severity of its wounds and had probably slipped as it tried to run away.

The fog started to thin out in front of him, and before long he could see the demon from behind.

Without hesitation, he sank his sword right underneath its left shoulder blade from behind, blood oozing out almost immediately. The demon was completely taken by surprise and screamed loudly the way only demons could ever manage, like a tiger yowling in pain and rage. It always made Jongin’s goosebumps prickle all over, the sound of a dying demon.

The body it occupied shuddered violently as the demon left its host, returning to its original dimension before the body slumped down lifelessly.

He pulled the sword out at once, turning the body over to bless its lost soul with the sign of the cross over the chest. If the demon could animate a human body and make it attack Jongin the way it did, this human was probably already long gone, its soul damned to Hell by the demon.

Regardless, Jongin murmured a Baptism prayer for the forgiveness of sins and shut the dead man’s eyes. He felt a pang of guilt for him; a human only had so many defenses against the forces of evil.

 _May Father receive you with open arms one day_ , Jongin thought. He didn’t know what Father’s plans were, but he could still hope for the man’s lost soul.

After spending a minute of silence to mourn for the man, Jongin called out to others like him with his mind, setting his thoughts on broadcast in a similar way the demon did with its presence. At once, he felt a stirring, like the petals of a flower blossoming in his skull. One of the angels had chosen to reply him.

 _Did you exterminate another demon?_ A cool, assessing voice that didn’t belong to Jongin echoed in his head.

It was Suho, the head angel in this part of the world. Word was that he took direct orders from Gabriel himself; for that, Jongin was always careful in choosing his words when he spoke to Suho.

 _Yes, I have,_ Jongin answered in an equally cool voice. _It possessed the body of a man but I think it was a Moloch demon._

Suho didn’t say anything.

 _Was I wrong to have ended the man’s life?_ Jongin asked tentatively, looking down at the body by his shoes. He’d have to pay an extra three years’ worth of service here on Earth as penance if he’d somehow misjudged the situation and killed the man unnecessarily.

 _No, you did the right thing_ , Suho reassured Jongin. _However, we’ve been having similar troubles in other places of late._ He sounded rather irritated.

 _Oh? Does this concern my city?_ Jongin raised an eyebrow, removing a cloth from the inner pocket of his jacket. He cleaned his sword with it, listening to Suho carefully:

 _There was a spike of demon activity close to the border of your city last weekin Yifan’s area_ , Suho told Jongin, _a few days before that occurred, someone tried to summon a demon in Yifan’s city._

Jongin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Rarely did anything like that ever happen in Yifan’s area. He was much stricter and harsher than Jongin was, deploying many angels in his area to make sure it was clean and remained so. Obviously, he wanted to please Father in any and all ways that he could, taking every extra measure possible to keep his area demon-free.

Jongin wanted to please Father too, but he preferred working alone.

 _Whoever summoned the demon opened up a temporary portal long enough to allow more than just one demon through_ , Suho continued, _and now there’s more demons running around the streets than usual._

That didn’t sound too good. Jongin frowned slightly.

High levels of demon activity meant higher risks of demon possession and a good chance that a Greater Demon could be lurking somewhere in the shadows. Now _those_ demons were more of a hassle to deal with than the rest; usually it required at least two angels to exterminate them.

 _Itcouldbe an odd coincidence_ , Suho said hesitantly, _but I doubt it._

 _I’ll keep an eye out_ , Jongin replied. Suho gave his affirmation and noted on the dead man’s body.

 _Someone will collect it later,_ Suho told him. _Report to me if you find anything suspicious. We may need more angels if things get out of hand._

And with that, he cut himself off from Jongin. It was akin to ending a call so Jongin hung up as well, turning on his heel.

There was someone he needed to see if Suho thought they needed more angels here on Earth.

-

Jongin knocked on the door quietly. He could hear muffled music playing from inside the apartment and the sound of two people arguing from down the corridor. On his left, someone else was snoring like a pig. He wondered how anyone living here could ever manage to get any sleep.

The door flung open abruptly, and the music amplified in volume. The bass was heavy, causing the walls and floor to vibrate in sync to the slow beat. A pale, thin boy wearing a hoodie and sweatpants stood at the door, a dry expression upon his face.

“Not you again,” he said flatly.

“Lovely to see you again, Sehun. Always a pleasure,” Jongin replied, brushing past him to enter the apartment.

Sehun sighed, kicking the door shut. He tucked his hands into his pockets, eyeing Jongin as he looked around. “I see nothing has changed since I last stopped by,” Jongin observed.

His apartment was poorly lit, with only a lamp and the glare from a desktop computer on Jongin’s right to illuminate the wooden floors. Empty pizza boxes and cartons were littered everywhere, and a pile of pillows and blankets sat in one corner. Though Jongin was in no position to pass judgment on the appearance of Sehun’s apartment, cleanliness _was_ next to Godliness ( _in Jongin’ eyes anyway_ ).

“I’ll clean up later, Mom,” Sehun rolled his eyes, pacing over to a chair by the computer. He sat down in it immediately and tapped on the keyboard rapidly. “I haven’t got all night, Jongin. Do you need something?” he asked.

“I only ever stop by when I truly need you,” Jongin replied.

Sehun snorted. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” His computer screen jerked, words appearing at the bottom of the page.

“Perhaps our encounters would be easier if you had just accepted Suho’s offer all those years ago,” Jongin remarked.

“And what, make use of my ‘ _gift_ ’?” Jongin could hear the censure in his voice when he said that. “No, thanks, Jongin. I’d take living alone in a dirty apartment over searching for demonsany day,” Sehun turned around to look at him over his shoulder.

“I didn’t say I was looking for a demon,” Jongin smiled.

“Of course you are. Why else would you be here, judging my pizza boxes and taste in music?” he scowled.

Jongin folded his arms with an unrestrained smile.”I never said anything about that either.”

Sehun spun halfway around in his chair to face Jongin. “Pray tell then, what you’re here for. No wait, don’t. You might tell me what sort of prayers I need to clean up my apartment,” he held out a hand in mockery.

Jongin was fond of Sehun, had seen him grow up into the lanky and tall young adult was now, but his ability to push Jongin’s buttons never changed in all that time. He never passed the chance to make some sort of morbid joke about Jongin’s true self.

Ignoring the jab, Jongin just plowed right through. “Very well, it is true that I need your capabilities. There’s been an influx of demon activity recently—”

Sehun rolled his eyes and turned around in his chair once more. “I don’t care,” he said flatly.

Jongin stopped short. How could he not care? Filthy demons were wrecking havoc in his surrounding environment and causing trouble on the behalf of multiple parties but Sehun couldn’t find it in himself to _care_?

It was completely foreign to Jongin, the idea of not caring about what was happening around him. That was just… so selfish. Then again, Sehun was human and the world had not been kind to him. _God_ had not been kind to him, but Jongin knew the Lord worked in mysterious ways. It had to be a test of faith and though Jongin wanted to say so, he didn’t want to reopen old wounds.

“I— I know you don’t give much thought to what happens around you anymore,” Jongin started to say, walking to stand directly behind Sehun’s right shoulder.

Sehun cut him off, “You’re damned right I don’t. Look at what giving a damn about the world did to me in the first place. Angels harassing me every other day just to use me, demons trying to bribe me into tell them where you guys hide out all the time—”

“They’ve been bribing you?” Jongin asked, honestly shocked.

 _How did they even find him?_ Jongin knew Sehun was very good at hiding. Sehun just shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly, typing away with his slim fingers.

“Sure, but it’s not like I don’t know the fine print. You wanna know the best part about them though? They know when they’re not wanted,” Sehun slit a glare at Jongin. He gave a heavy sigh.

“If you could just tell me if there’s been some demon activity in the area recently, Sehun, I’d already be on my way, leaving you alone to your cozy apartment.”

“The last guy said that, Minseong or Minseok, whatever his name was. I refused, of course. Then he stopped by again last night, asking the same question,” Sehun cocked an eyebrow at Jongin.

“Does it truly not irk you that two angels in a short time frame are asking you the same question?” Jongin asked, folding his arms.

“It’s not my problem,” was all Sehun said. He would’ve let Jongin stand there all night if he didn’t say anything after that. Jongin had an idea of how to get Sehun to cough up some information but the backlash from it would definitely earn an earful from Suho. He considered leaving Sehun’s apartment, but then that would just be running away from the real problem.

“What if I promised you that none of the other angels will bother you again?” Jongin asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He could hardly believe he was saying this; it had to work or he’d regret this for the rest of his time here on Earth.

Sehun stopped typing at once, fingers hovering over his keyboard.

“All of them?” he said in a flat voice. “Even the big one?”

“Which big one?” Jongin frowned.

“Gabriel. He’s such a pain in the ass, always going on and on about the path of righteousness and turning a new leaf. If you can get _all of them_ to stop bothering me, even in my dreams, then you have yourself a deal,” Sehun said, finally looking Jongin in the eye.

“Someone has to look into you every once in a while, make sure you’re alive and well. What about all of them but me?” Jongin said, testing the waters. Sehun groaned.

“Then you’ll just take orders from your friends. All of them or nothing,” Sehun insisted.

“I won’t take orders from them,” Jongin tried to reassure him, “When have I ever asked you to do something on someone else’s behalf?” Jongin pointed out.

Sehun thought about it for a full minute, pursing his lips. He continued typing and reading through the jerky words on the screen till he suddenly swiveled around, folding his arms and crossing his legs.

“Fine then. But you check on me only every three months.”

“Two months,” Jongin said. “You can’t live forever and someone has to make sure you’re not dead.”

“Yes, because I’m just so useful to you guys, hm?” Sehun said with a bright, phony smile on his face. Jongin didn’t reply him.

Sehun stood up, sighing as he cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms out above his head.

“Two months. Nobody but you. Let’s get to it then,” Sehun said, brushing past Jongin to pad to one of the bedrooms. Jongin silently thanked the Lord that Sehun still had some sense left in him.

Sehun twisted a doorknob and elbowed into one of the two bedrooms in his apartment. The room was darker than the living room, the only window painted over with black paint.

The walls, ceiling and floor was covered with symbols drawn messily in black paint too, and they looked like they were drawn with anger, the curves and straight lines drawn sharp. In the center of the room however, there was a white five pointed star drawn with runes circling it and it glowed faintly despite the darkness in the room.

Jongin knew the substance very well; up close, it was actually iridescent and shone like it was wet all the time. He knew it because it flowed through his own veins in his true form. It was angel blood.

“What am I supposed to be looking for exactly?” Sehun asked. He walked over to stand right in the center of the star, motioning for Jongin to close the door.

The symbols painted in black continued over the back of the door as if nothing could stop the symbols from being drawn; if Jongin concentrated, he could almost feel a slow pulse in the room, like standing in the heart of a living thing. The symbols _were_ alive in a way; they were safety measures in case something went wrong when Sehun was here in this room, using the one ability he resented most.

“Demon activity towards the borders of the city. I don’t suppose you can tell me if anyone’s been trying to raise a demon from hell?” Jongin asked.

“I can try to feel out if there are any traces left. Anyway, you know the drill. Don’t touch me till I’m out of the circle,” Sehun said, ruffling his own hair messily.

“I won’t,” Jongin said, standing a foot away from Sehun. He dropped to his knees, already placing his fingers to his temples.

The process of Sehun trying to search and track demonic or angelic activity was always a little fascinating to watch. To put it simply, he was casting a wider net around himself to sense supernatural beings rather than keeping it within a one meter radius without any help from this ritual.

Jongin had asked Sehun once what he saw in Jongin as a human with the ability to feel the auras of people around him. _People feel like colors,_ Sehun had said, _but you feel like I’m standing under the afternoon sun._

Demons felt like the coldest winter day.

Sehun took a deep breath, ribcage prominent through his shirt. A dreamy look passed over his face, taking away the lines on his face. He looked much younger, if not his real age without the narcissism and defensive walls up. For a brief moment, Jongin felt sorry for Sehun. He didn’t blame him for feeling bitter at the world when it had not given him very much to work with.

Just as Jongin thought of that, the angel blood on the ground glowed a little brighter then started pulsing steadily like the wings of a hummingbird. The light cast deep shadows over Sehun’s face and body, flickering in and out of existence. He had seen this ritual enough times to know that Sehun was opening his mind now, reaching far and wide across the city.

Sehun closed his eyes but they were moving around beneath his eyelids, seeing beyond the four walls around him. He stayed like that for a few seconds, silent and still like a statue.

Then he opened his eyes, looking up to the ceiling. His irises changed from black to blue, to green, to grey and to brown as he spoke, “There’re some demons at the edge of the city, but they’re heading away from here into Yifan’s territory. I can’t seem to find any particular spot in the city that’s experienced some heavy demonic rituals but give me a minute to dig a little deeper.”

“It’s supposed to be in Yifan’s city,” Jongin informed him.

“Should’ve said so. I don’t even need to look that way to know Yifan’s place is _filthy_ , practically crawling with demons right now. Bet it gets on his nerves,” Sehun smiled, eyes still flickering from color to color. He knew Yifan as well as Jongin did, and nothing annoyed Yifan more than an unclean city.

“Oh, I’m getting something,” Sehun said, blinking. “The place is only a few miles away from the border of the city. Some dingy apartment building with only ten floors; no elevators but lots of stairs. God, everything looks nasty,” Sehun said distractedly. Jongin listened carefully; every detail would come in handy later.

“Apartment 12A. No one’s in and there’s only a little furniture here and there. Looks like no one’s been home for a while but wow,” Sehun shook his head, frowning.

“This isn’t just anyone summoning a demon for fun, Jongin, it’s… this is some serious stuff. Smells like someone just lit this place on fire like five seconds ago or something,” Sehun said, wrinkling his nose. Demonic rituals always left a smell of smoke in its wake and it was usually stronger if the spell was successful. Sehun had definitely found the right place.

“Do you think it was a spell to raise a Greater Demon?” Jongin asked.

“I’m not sure. It’s really powerful though, one could’ve forced its way through the portal,” Sehun said. Greater Demons could be very stubborn sometimes; Jongin wasn’t surprised at that particular bit of information.

“I think that’s enough to work with, Sehun. You can stop now,” Jongin replied.

Sehun snickered, remaining in place. “No way, man, I’m gonna dig some more so you can’t bother me till the next time we meet. Let me see if I can’t find out what spell they used to summon the demon,” Sehun said, settling in a more comfortable position.

Jongin couldn’t protest against that so he waited while Sehun continued to search with his mind. The spell could’ve left a mark of some sort, like a unique signature in the apartment. It usually took some sifting through the magical residue it left, the sort of work that only gifted ones like Sehun or an archangel could do. Knowing what sort of spell had been cast was useful because then Jongin would know roughly how many demons could have escaped.

After a few minutes, Sehun spoke in a low voice, “I… Jongin I can’t believe I’m looking at this right now but I think it’s one of the ancient dark spells, Jongin. Remember the ones from long ago, like before Jesus was even around?” Jongin lifted an eyebrow.

Any dark spells and their makers written before the Lord’s son’s time on Earth here had been destroyed in a secret mission executed by the archangels all those years ago. Even Jongin wasn’t created at the time yet; to hear that one of the spells had survived all these years and had been cast by someone recently spelled trouble. It meant that someone had taken the time to dig up old secrets better left untouched.

“Are you sure about this, Sehun? Completely sure?” he asked.

“I can’t even _read_ the runes here, Jongin, they’re written what looks like Hebrew but I don’t understand it at all,” Sehun replied hotly.

Then it was as good as confirmed. Jongin had to report this news to Suho at once, inform the others and find whoever it was behind this mess as soon as possible. Chances were that he’d have to finish him or her off, and that never went down well with Jongin. He thought it was a waste of life, killing a human just for one mistake they made. But he had orders, and he knew he was nothing but a soldier in the Lord’s army.

“Thank you, Sehun,” Jongin said politely. “You can stop now.” He had provided Jongin with more than just a good start.

Sehun grunted in reply, shutting his eyes tightly. The angel blood stopped glowing at once and the thrumming heartbeat of the room slowed, like the engine of a machine whirring down to a stop when the power was cut off. He didn’t move right away, taking a minute to breathe.

“Sehun, are you alright?” Jongin stepped towards him. He nodded, holding up a hand.

“I think I’m having a nosebleed,” he mumbled, covering his face with his other hand. Sehun stumbled to his two feet and hurried past Jongin, out of the room before any blood could drip on the floor.

Jongin frowned after him, instantly regretful. Sometimes Sehun didn’t know his limits and pushed himself too hard when using his ability. It was one of the reasons why he chose not to stay under the protection of the angels on Earth. If he swore to help them with their cause, he’d die, and yet if he didn’t, Sehun was practically nothing just like now, reduced to a pitiful state.

 _It’s a merciless world the humans have made for themselves_ , Jongin thought, shaking his head.

Jongin waited out in the living room to give Sehun a moment to recollect himself. By the time Sehun stepped out, he had a face towel held to his nose with water dripping off one of his hands. Sehun jolted in mild surprise when he saw Jongin still standing there in the middle of his apartment.

“I thought you left already,” he said, voice muffled through the towel.

“I wouldn’t leave you for two months without saying goodbye,” Jongin smiled easily. Sehun snorted at the remark before pressing the face towel closer to his nose in alarm.

“Don’t make me laugh now, please, I’m having a nosebleed here and it’s your fault too,” he said, gesturing at the door for Jongin to leave. Jongin laughed, sauntering over to pat Sehun once on the shoulder.

“You’re sure, Sehun? About leaving you alone like this?” Jongin said.

Sehun shrugged his shoulders. “What d’you mean _‘like this’_? I’m actually having a pretty good life without you guys, even if it doesn’t look like it. So yes, I am sure that that is what I want,” he said, meeting Jongin’s gaze determinedly. He looked sure, without a trace of doubt in his eyes though there was definitely some hurt peeking through his defiance.

“I understand,” Jongin bowed his head. He started to walk towards the door but stopped when Sehun started to laugh humorlessly; it sounded like he was coughing and laughing at the same time.

“You always say that, Jongin, but you don’t get it. You don’t know what it’s like in the real world where demons aren’t the main concern. You think God helps us out when we truly need it?” Sehun scoffed in disgust.

“You angels don’t understand a thing. And you never will,” Sehun spat.

*

Jongin walked to the diner around the corner with his head down, deep in his thoughts.

It was dawn, the sun’s orange rays spreading over the city like a fan. He could feel the last of the night’s cold and mist melting away in the heat, making way for a new day. Jongin had always thought mornings were beautiful in the way that they were inevitable and each morning was a fresh start for everyone.

However, on this particular morning, he was feeling just a little bit more sullen than usual.

Last night, he had gone home after his visit to Sehun’s apartment and spent an hour or so in a heated conversation with Suho. The angel had given him a fair scolding for promising Sehun that the angels wouldn’t bother him anymore. _‘It wasn’t your place to bargain so brazenly with Sehun like that,’_ Suho’s voice had shouted in Jongin’s head.

The truth was that they still desperately needed his abilities even if they had haughtily claimed that the angels were no longer associated with him. Jongin had taken his beating quietly, waited till Suho finally calmed down to explain what Sehun had found out.

 _‘You will have to work with Yifan on this then, to solve the problem immediately,’_ Suho said in a flat voice. He was still livid with Jongin, and would probably have a word with the archangels about Sehun.

_‘Clear up the mess quickly and quietly, Jongin. We don’t need any more problems than the ones we already have on our hands. Report to me when it is done.’_

Just like that, he had cut off the connection and left Jongin feeling like he’d done something wrong though he knew that it was the best decision he could’ve made at the time. But it wasn’t the guilt that had him lying awake in his small bedroom all night. It was the last words Sehun had said to him about angels not being able to understand.

Jongin supposed it was true. The angels came to Earth by possessing human vessels, usually bodies of those who had recently passed away.

They then recycled these vessels over the years; Jongin’s body was almost a century old and at least 3 angels before him had possessed it before. The only thing that kept it from rotting was the grace of the angels, the essence of their souls that were powerful enough to stave off the passage of time. That was basically their birth to the world, and whatever knowledge they needed to know, the angels who had been on Earth before would pass onto them.

Angels did not have parents other than the Almighty Father, whose presence they both feared yet praised. They did not struggle through life on Earth to become who they are.

For that reason, Jongin thought maybe that was what Sehun meant. Though he could _sympathize_ with humans, he could not _relate_ to them because he had no real life experiences of his own. He was, in a way, as inexperienced with the world as a newborn baby despite his angelic grace and felt humbled in that knowledge.

Jongin knew many of the angels such as Suho and Yifan held themselves above humans, thought them selfish and foolish. But upon closer interaction with these same humans like his tentative friendship with Sehun, he realized that the human nature was not necessarily born selfish or greedy. Instead, it was their experiences, losses and hopes that made them who they were thus, creating a diverse people.

And what was Jongin?

The question shook him to his core. He was nothing without the Lord behind his back. He was nothing based on life experiences. He had no hold on the Earth, like a water insect skitting over the surface of a river without ever knowing what lay beneath its feet. A horrifying thought occurred to him as well during the night; if the Lord lost faith in him one day, then what would he become?

That was why he entered the diner with a gloomy expression upon his face, sliding into a booth noiselessly without revealing his sword concealed in his long coat. He just didn’t have the motivation to be a good soldier today, but still felt obliged to go about his daily activities.

The waitress working at the diner gave him a friendly smile when she spotted him in the booth, one that he found hard to return due to his morose thoughts.

She set out a knife and fork for him before saying, “Good morning as ever, sir. Will you be having your usual today?” By now, he was a morning regular at this diner and always ordered the same thing every day.

“Yes, I will. Thank you very much,” he replied, smiling briefly up at her. The waitress was a cheery, young thing with bright blonde hair and blue eyes. She nodded crisply and walked off to the kitchen with his order, a skip in her step.

Jongin wondered why such a youthful girl with so much potential was working as a waitress in a small diner like this. Surely there were better opportunities out there?

 _Or maybe I just don’t know what life truly is_ , Jongin thought. Yes, that was much more likely. He groaned low in his throat, cupping his chin in his hand with his elbows on the table. Jongin watched people walk past the diner’s window blankly, trying to imagine the lives they might have.

Maybe that woman frowning while she fiddled with her phone was having a hard time at work. That man with thinning hair could be walking his family dog, and he’d go home later in time to send his children off to school before going to work as well. Those two girls giggling as they walked arm in arm could’ve been sisters, headed to the bus stop down the road to catch a bus to the next town together for a shopping trip. Jongin could picture so many different scenarios for different people, yet the one reality he could not picture was his own.

 _I could be called back anytime if Gabriel said so,_ Jongin thought mournfully. He didn’t want to go back to his home dimension where the other angels sang praise every day, every second in the Lord’s name. Close to the Lord he may be if he ever went back, but his home dimension didn’t offer the same kind of appeal to Jongin.

He wanted to be more than just an angel.

Jongin wasn’t planning on overthrowing Heaven like Lucifer did, goodness no. He wanted nothing of the sort. No, he just wanted to step away from the Lord for a day or two, see the world with his own eyes and perspective. Such wishful thinking cheered him up some. A man could dream, sometimes.

When the waitress returned with his breakfast, tuna sandwiches toasted to a crisp with a side of scrambled egg and a glass of warm water, he felt a little lighter. He was about to dig in as soon as she set the plate down before Jongin when he realized she was lingering at his table, which was unusual of her.

“… Yes?” he looked up at her uncertainly.

She looked terribly embarrassed with herself, unwilling to meet Jongin’s gaze. “Um, I usually don’t say anything to customers like this but since you’re a regular and all,” she laughed nervously.

Jongin waited for her to continue speaking. This sounded positively interesting, not to mention the first time she’s said anything more than ‘ _Will you be having your usual?_ ’ and ‘ _Here’s your bill_.’

“Well, I’ve been working here for a while and you’ve been coming in every morning too for the same breakfast. It’s just that I noticed you were a little down today, and it’s not like you. You usually have a smile on your face or at least look like you’re in a pleasant mood,” she paused, perhaps gauging his reaction. Jongin nodded for her to continue.

“I’m not trying to pry into your business or anything, y’know, you don’t have to tell me anything. I just thought I’d come over and wish you a good day despite whatever it is you might be going through. We all go through our rough patches,” she shrugged.

It was awfully nice of herto say that in a clumsy attempt to show her concern. Sadly, she didn’t know that angels normally did not go through ‘rough patches’ nor did angels usually come down with a bad case of existentialism. Jongin thanked her anyway and said lightly, “I’ll be sure to have a better day then,” just to send the girl on her merry way. This girl didn’t need to know what sort of problems Jongin went through on a daily basis. 

She giggled coquettishly at his reply and went off once more to serve a family that had just entered the diner. He smiled after her before biting into his sandwich, oddly pleased that someone _did_ care, a human as it were, even though she hardly knew Jongin’s name.

-

After his breakfast, Jongin paid for it from his meager monthly allowance and set off to walk towards the edge of his city where Yifan’s territory began. It was a long walk but Jongin didn’t mind. He would’ve walked off every corner of the world map if he had one.

Jongin bumped into a few angels on the way, some he knew and some he didn’t. The ones he knew stopped him to talk briefly about the sudden rise in levels of demon activity; he assured them that he was going to take care of that particular problem before Suho came down upon them with the wrath of God.

“It’s bad, y’know,” Baekhyun, one of the newer angels, frowned at Jongin. “I cleaned up three bodies last night alone. You and I both know that that’s not normal. That’s _crazy_ ,” he shook his head.

“It is,” Jongin agreed solemnly. Baekhyun wasn’t here for the same reason as Jongin exactly; his job here on Earth was to clean up after angels like Jongin (who killed demons or in more complicated cases, possessed humans) by collecting the human bodies left behind and making them seem like victims of street crime. It made their deaths a lot easier on the families, as the angels learned over the years, because sometimes the truth was just too hard to take.

“I wish you luck on your mission, Jongin. If you need me, I’ll be glad to help in any way I can,” Baekhyun said, holding his hand out for a handshake. Jongin took it, giving his hand a firm shake.

“Thank you, Baekhyun. I suppose I will need it,” Jongin shrugged.

They went their separate ways after that, and Jongin met no more angels as he ventured further away from the heart of his city.

It soon became evident that what Baekhyun said was true and Suho was right to worry; Jongin didn’t even need to set himself up as bait to feel demons hidden in the shadows, shivers running up and down his spine each time he came dangerously close. 

However, the demons did not attack as one might think. They never did during the day, because the night was their domain and there was something about the sun that they didn’t like. It was probably Jongin’s luck that he didn’t come across a possessed human who would have no problem withstanding the sun and its rays. He hurried along anyways; time was of the essence with a problem as rampant and difficult as the one at hand.

When Jongin reached the very edge of his city, he contacted Yifan.

_‘Yifan, with all due respect, I will be crossing over to your territory right now. I have information on the source of the sudden influx in demon activity—’_

_‘Come as you are,’_ Yifan cut him off crisply. He sounded cold and business-like, more so than Suho ever was with Jongin. Maybe it was because they didn’t know each other very well.

 _‘May I inquire as to how long you will be here and your approximate whereabouts? Will you need a few of my angels at your call for backup?’_ Yifan asked, as efficient and calculating as a commander. Jongin didn’t think it was _that_ big of a problem, not just yet.

_‘I don’t think I will require any extra help for now. I may be here for only a short period of time, less than a day, I should think.’_

_‘And where do you plan to spend your time here in my city? Some areas are more dangerous than most,’_ Yifan replied coolly. Jongin explained everything that Sehun had told him to Yifan, describing the apartment Sehun had searched in detail. Yifan informed him that Jongin probably wasn’t very far away from it if he had just entered Yifan’s territory; it wouldn’t take more than a five minute walk to where it was.

 _‘Thank you. I will take my leave as soon I finish my business here,’_ Jongin said, walking into the direction where the apartment was supposed to be.

He expected Yifan to click off first but instead he lingered, hesitating briefly in Jongin’s mind.

 _‘I hear you’ve made a one-sided bargain with that human, Sehun. It was foolish, what you did,’_ Yifan said.

 _Of course_ , Suho would blab about what had happened to Yifan. Jongin resisted the urge to roll his eyes; one scolding from an angel higher up than him was enough.

 _‘It was the best I could do,’_ he replied, tone clipped.

 _‘I know,’_ Yifan replied, surprising Jongin, _‘I respect you for that although it will be difficult from now on to accomplish our duties without the help from that human. I know we haven’t spoken much, Jongin, but I think we are more similar than I initially thought._

There was a touch of begrudging admiration in Yifan’s voice. It made Jongin wonder if Yifan had thought him a fool or something along those lines all this while. Nevertheless, it was… a lovely gesture on Yifan’s part though Jongin didn’t need his approval. He thanked him respectfully and ended the connection before Yifan could think of picking up a conversation. Now _that_ would make Jongin nervous.

Jongin followed the directions Yifan supplied him to the apartment. The area was dirtier than Jongin would like, with rats scurrying across his path at unexpected moments and rubbish littered everywhere.

Puddles of water collected in uneven parts of the ground and crows cawed somewhere above Jongin’s head… Jongin couldn’t imagine anyone actually living in such squalid conditions.

He came upon the apartment almost by chance when he was trying not to slip in a puddle of drain water. It loomed above him ominously, its white walls streaked in black and green from years of neglect. He counted the levels carefully in his head; there were ten in all. Stairs built into the side of the building led all the way up to the top. This had to be the place.

There were cars parked out front so Jongin knew it wasn’t totally abandoned even if there wasn’t anyone around. In fact, he’d hardly crossed anyone’s path since he entered Yifan’s territory. Strange, but he had no time to linger on that fact.

Checking to make sure he had his sword under his coat, Jongin walked towards the apartment, climbing the stairs slowly.

He stopped at the first floor to look at the numbers on the door. There were only three apartments on each floor he learned, and the first three were labeled 1A, 2A and 3A. _12A must be on the fourth floor then,_ he thought. How fitting it seemed; four was said to be a bad number in certain cultures.

Jongin stopped on the fourth floor once he climbed eight flights of stairs. Any doubt he had that this might be the wrong place disappeared; the entire hallway of the fourth floor reeked of smoke and dark magic.

Other humans living on the same floor probably couldn’t see or smell anything but they would definitely sense that something was wrong here, something evil. Jongin could hardly believe the residue of the spell could linger for so long. It was like Sehun said; the spell was powerful indeed.

He stepped soundlessly towards apartment 12A, gripping his sword. Jongin could hear someone moving around inside, muted voices speaking to one another. Placing a hand on the knob, he listened carefully to bits of the conversation.

_“…make me leave…”_

_“My brother needs me…”_

_“…not even the book…”_

It sounded like an argument. Jongin wasn’t sure if the people inside would notice if he tried to slip in because there seemed to be one of them pacing around near the door while talking. Jongin figured that if he didn’t try, he wouldn’t know. At least he could say he did try for subtlety in case the people inside noticed him.

Twisting the doorknob, Jongin pushed the door open slowly.

It was unlocked, and when he peeped in there wasn’t anyone in sight. Whoever it was pacing around was either further away from the door than he guessed, or had seen the door open and was somewhere else in the apartment now. Either way, Jongin pulled an inch of his sword out of the hilt and held the door completely open. Nobody appeared, and nobody stopped him when he shut the door as quietly as he came in.

A wall in front of the door blocked his view of the entire apartment, stretching towards his right and ending where he could smell more smoke hanging heavily in the air. It was thicker in the apartment than outside, like standing in the middle of an open burning field.

Still, he kept his guard up. Who knew what sort of surprises the tenants of the apartment had for an intruder?

Jongin inched towards the right, possibly directly into danger and tried to not choke on the smell of smoke. He heard the sound of footsteps behind the wall and tensed himself, ready for an attack. Jongin drew his sword out carefully, quietly and suddenly came face to face with someone.

“What am I going to do—” the person’s lament was cut off midsentence when Jongin tackled him to the ground, elbowing his chest and pressing his entire weight upon him till the person fell over. The person, a man, struggled at once to get up and fight Jongin off but the element of surprise worked to Jongin’s advantage; he wasn’t prepared at all and Jongin held his hands down, looking at this man in the eye.

First of all, he wasn’t a man at all. He looked more like a boy, with porcelain skin and delicate features. A piercing below his lower lip caught Jongin’s eye. It was strange to see someone like him in an apartment like this; Jongin had expected a deranged older man worshipping Satan the way normal people would to God.

The boy’s eyes were wide with fear and shock, and he looked like he was about to scream when Jongin clamped down a hand over his mouth. He tried to shake Jongin’s hand off, dark reddish hair a blur as he moved, one of his hands going up to claw at Jongin’s hand. Jongin shushed him, trying to calm him down.

“Is there anyone else in this apartment?” Jongin asked in a low voice. The boy’s eyes widened for a moment, before he shook his head then said something under Jongin’s hand.

Jongin frowned at him. “Don’t lie. I heard voices before I came in.”

The boy rolled his eyes at Jongin, then patted Jongin’s hand over his mouth. Jongin arched an eyebrow at him. “If I take my hand away, will you promise not to scream?” he asked. The boy looked perfectly sane, hardly the kind who would be summoning a demon. Jongin knew he wasn’t supposed to make judgments based on appearances but he decided to take a chance anyway, and took his hand away from the boy’s mouth.

“There’s only me here. And it’s good that you’re here because I’m in a bit of difficult situation,” the boy said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

“Pardon?” Jongin frowned.

The boy took a deep breath before he spoke: “You’re an angel, aren’t you?”

Jongin was, needless to say, slightly taken aback. He never thought he’d meet a gifted human more than once in his lifetime. People like Sehun and apparently, _this boy_ , were rare, though maybe they weren’t as far apart as angels claimed they were. This boy cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for an answer.

“I-I am. But how do you know that?” Jongin said, placing his hand to the boy’s neck.

“Because I told him,” the boy smiled. Jongin frowned. The next thing he knew, Jongin was on his back and gasping for air as the boy tightened his fingers around Jongin’s neck with inhumane strength. An apparition of a demon’s face Jongin recognized hovered and flickered over the boy’s face, his eyes now a livid red like his hair.

“ _Took you by surprise, didn’t I_?” the boy said, but in a different voice now. Jongin didn’t need introductions to know that this boy was possessed not only by a demon but by one Jongin knew by name.

“Azazel,” Jongin bit out, reaching out his arms to try and throw the boy over to one side. The boy chuckled in a deep, low voice as he leaned back away from Jongin’s hands. “I see the angels still teach you your history, eh?” he said calmly, pressing harder on Jongin’s throat.

Jongin couldn’t breathe and felt his face turn red from the lack of air. But he wasn’t going to leave this world so easily and be forcefully returned to his home dimension. Not yet, not now.

“I have… another… surprise,” Jongin choked.

He reached for his sword under his coat and pulled it out clumsily, its edge slicing across the boy’s cheek. He leapt backwards with an enraged cry, to Jongin’s surprise, and released his grip on Jongin’s neck.

Jongin quickly sat up and grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt, holding the sword to his neck. He couldn’t kill him, not when the boy showed signs that he was still able to fight the demon on the inside but he couldn’t let the demon pull another trick on him again; if he escaped or killed Jongin then it would only get messier and more complicated. 

The boy coughed for a moment, blood streaked across his cheek and some of it dribbling down his neck. He blinked, then met Jongin’s gaze momentarily. Azazel’s face had disappeared.

“Are you gonna kill me?” he asked in a weary voice. The boy was back, but for how long Jongin didn’t know. For all he knew, Azazel could be withholding himself on purpose. His body was limp, arms hanging slack at his sides.

“…Not yet,” Jongin replied slowly.

The boy laughed weakly, looking to the side. “You should while you still can,” he said, almost conversationally.

Jongin tilted his head to one side. “Do you really want me to?” he asked uncertainly.

“It’d be a lot easier if—” the boy shuddered violently before he could finish, his eyes rolling back into his skull. Jongin knew what this was; Azazel was going to come back and possess him once more with a vengeance. He couldn’t kill him and he certainly didn’t want to hurt the boy more than necessary, which left only one thing to do.

“This might hurt a bit,” Jongin winced, hoping the boy could still hear him somehow. Drawing his hand back, Jongin struck the boy with the hilt of his sword right across the face.

*

When the boy finally came to on the bed, Jongin already had his sword in hand, prepared to face Azazel if he had to. He watched carefully for any signs of the demon but instead, the boy just woke up as a normal boy would, blinking blearily before hissing painfully when he tried to move his bruised jaw. “Ow,” he whispered.

Jongin could see that his face still looked normal so he set down the sword on the table beside him before picking up a glass with some liquid in it.

“Drink,” he said tersely, pushing it to the boy’s mouth.

He turned away stubbornly, trying to lift a hand to push it aside. The boy looked surprised when he saw that he had chains on his wrists and ankles, gasping quietly before wincing again.

“Why didn’t you kill me?” the boy mumbled as he looked up at Jongin on the bed, trying not to move his mouth too much. Jongin had hit him _hard_ back at the boy’s apartment. Some blood had oozed out of his mouth too when the boy conked out but Jongin decided to save that for later. He _was_ sorry for doing it though; the large purplish bruise across his jaw made him look sad and vulnerable.

“I suggest you drink this before I tell you anything,” Jongin replied, ignoring his question. He brought the glass closer to the boy’s mouth once more and he drank it begrudgingly, eyes staring up at him as he swallowed it down. He made a face when it all went down, smacking his lips.

“What the hell was that, expired fruit juice or something?” he asked.

Jongin laughed softly, dragging a chair up to sit in it. The boy sat up from bed, looking around.

They were in an abandoned warehouse by the sea, the large space in the building completely unused except for the corner they were now occupying. There were only the bare essentials at the warehouse; a bed, a table and a chair, nothing more. The chains the boy wore were welded to the metal wall against the bed; it was long enough that he didn’t need to be confined to the bed and could move around quite a bit.

Jongin had carried him all the way back into his territory, informing Yifan and Suho of his progress on his mission and that he’d try not to kill the boy so long as Jongin knew he wasn’t the exact cause of the problem. The warehouse was a safe place of sorts for the angels; they hardly ever used it unless there was an emergency or needed a place to hold someone temporarily, like now. 

“Where am I?” the boy asked curiously. Waves broke some distance away from the warehouse, a pleasing sound to the ears. Jongin crossed his legs, assessing the boy carefully.

“Perhaps we can start from the beginning. What is your name?” he asked.

The boy stretched his arms over his head, bones cracking loudly. “M’name is Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo. You?” he smiled brightly.

Jongin had not quite expected him to smile when Kyungsoo was in such a particular situation. He introduced himself anyway since they would probably be seeing each other for quite a while.

“You can call me Jongin.”

Kyungsoo nodded, fingering his lip piercing absently. “Call you Jongin, huh? So that’s not your real name?” he asked. His face looked softer in the natural light, made even more so when paired with his shock of blood red hair and piercing. Everything about him contradicted oddly well, Jongin noted in slight amusement and adoration.

“Why don’t you tell me what you remember first, right before you ended up here,” Jongin said, deflecting his question once more. He would answer them, but only after he had his own questions answered first.

Kyungsoo sighed. “Oh c’mon, you’re not seriously asking me that. I was… I was talking,” he started to say, then frowned, “to Azazel while trying to cook dinner, and then you busted in and knocked me to the ground. Then I don’t really remember, but I think I fell pretty hard—”

“I hit you,” Jongin supplied.

“Ah. Yes. That would explain this,” Kyungsoo brushed his finger across his bruised jaw and quickly jerked it away when he felt it sting. “Shit… Right, yeah, that’s it. Then I woke up and you made me drink whatever juice you had in that cup.”

Not quite the explanation Jongin had been hoping for. Still, it was a start, and now that he knew the drink was working on Kyungsoo, he could start talking.

“Allow me to explain myself then. I am Jongin, yes, that isn’t my real name, and I… work for some powerful people.” Kyungsoo snorted at that.

“Cut the crap, Jongin, I know who you are. You’re an angel,” Kyungsoo said, running his hands over his jeans, “I can see it even if you don’t want to tell me.”

“Well, if you can see it then there’s no point denying it. I am an angel. That is true. And if you know I’m an angel then you know what I do,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo looked up at him in confusion, tilting his head to the left.

“No, actually. I can see that you’re an angel through your eyes but I don’t know what you’re planning to do with me right now.”

“That’s alright. I, and others like me, help people. We were sent here many years ago with a purpose and that is to guide humanity into the light of the Lord’s righteous path. Today, I was sent on a mission to find the source behind the abrupt increase in the number of demons on the streets and that is how I found you,” Jongin held out a hand to Kyungsoo, “harboring one of the most infamous demons in the world.”

Kyungsoo snorted. “He’d be really pleased you said that.”

“Who?”

“Azazel,” Kyungsoo replied, “He loves it when anyone recognizes him.”

It was no secret that demons were prideful. However, it was a little unnerving to hear this young boy talk about a demon like it was someone he knew but didn’t quite like.

“And may I know how a demon such as Azazel can come to possess your body?” Jongin asked lightly.

Kyungsoo bit on his nails, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly. “The spell went wrong, I guess.  Maybe I made a mistake with the incantation or the ingredients I used weren’t pure enough so it couldn’t hold him back—”

“Wait,” Jongin held up a hand.

“ _You_ summoned Azazel?” he asked in disbelief. He couldn’t quite believe it. This was a boy perhaps no older than twenty two with the personality of an optimistic ten year old. The amount of research and dedication one would need to find a spell powerful enough to summon a Greater Demon such as Azazel would have been extraordinary; only either desperation or pure determination could’ve fueled that.

Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose at him. “ _No_ ,” he scoffed.

“Oh thank goodness—”

“I tried to summon King Paimon,” Kyungsoo continued. Jongin’s mouth almost dropped off from the surprise.

Trying to summon a demon higher than a Greater Demon in the demon hierarchy was a suicide mission. It was a completely mental idea; no one had ever tried it and succeeded since the time of Solomon the King.

“King _Paimon_?” Jongin repeated. Kyungsoo nodded.

“You tried to summon King Paimon? _One of the Kings of Hell_?” Jongin enunciated. Lord help him; he had possibly bitten off more than he could chew on this one.

Kyungsoo tutted at him. “I don’t know what the big deal is, I mean if you’re gonna summon a demon then you go big or go home, right?” He rolled his eyes as if they were talking about the weather. King Paimon was not to be taken lightly; he took orders directly from Lucifer himself. Not to mention the demon had two hundred legions of demons at his command as well.

“Kyungsoo, you realize that if you had somehow unleashed King Paimon on Earth, you might as well have started the apocalypse eons too early?” Jongin said carefully.

He sighed, turning away from Jongin. It was apparent that this was not his favorite topic but Jongin had to know more. What drove him to summon one of the most powerful demons of Hell? It couldn’t have been just some kind of game; whoever knew King Paimon obviously knew he could do much more damage than some Greater Demon. Something had to have pushed him to that point, to risk the entire city, maybe the world’s safety just to summon a King of Hell.

“Look, I have my reasons, alright? I did it because I was forced to, otherwise I would never have been in this position in the first place,” Kyungsoo said, a little angrily.

Jongin stood up and placed a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “I know. I know it must be a mistake that you regret now. But Kyungsoo, you have to tell me what happened so I know what to do to help you get out of this mess.”

Kyungsoo fidgeted uncomfortably, gaze darting from side to side. Jongin waited for Kyungsoo to look up at him.

“You should’ve just killed me, you know,” Kyungsoo mumbled under his breath.

Jongin shook his head, stepping away. “I can’t kill you. Not when you can still live and breathe normally like any other human being.”

Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows together. “Huh, that’s weird, because speaking of killing me, Azazel isn’t trying to come up inside of me like he usually does every few minutes.” Jongin smiled gently at him.

“The drink I gave you is a mixture of my blood and some seawater, among other things. It keeps demon possession at bay for a while but it won’t stop him from coming back once the effects wear off,” he explained, pointing at the empty glass on the table. Kyungsoo’s face puckered up in disgust.

“You made me drink your blood?” he demanded.

Jongin shrugged. “It was either that or me having to constantly knock you out. I need you to talk anyway, and it does give you a reprieve from the possession, doesn’t it?” He sat down in his chair again now that he had distracted Kyungsoo.

“How come I never thought of that? I’ve been researching for the past few days to exorcise him out of me… But obviously that’s rather difficult when one minute you’re reading a book and the next thing you realize is you’ve set the book on fire,” Kyungsoo sighed in exasperation. Jongin could imagine the frustration Kyungsoo was going through.

No one ever said demon possession was pretty. Jongin was only surprised he managed to last so long without allowing Azazel to take over completely.

“It’s a recipe the angels recently developed,” Jongin replied. Suho had tried it out after Sehun did some reading and made an offhanded suggestion that a possessed person could probably try to ingest some angel’s blood to stave off the demon’s hold on the victim.

Kyungsoo nodded and said, “Cool.”

They were quiet for a while, just looking at each other. Jongin thought Kyungsoo was… strange. Not in a bad way, but in a way that Jongin never knew humans could be. He was somehow the most blasé and yet shielded person Jongin had ever encountered.

“…Will you be more willing to tell me what happened now?” Jongin asked, breaking the silence.

Kyungsoo sent him a dry look, his piercing winking at Jongin. “Are you going to bug me about it all day?” he pursed his lips.

Jongin shrugged. “I have all day to waste. Why don’t you start from the beginning and I’ll see how far I can help you with your predicament.” It was a good deal Kyungsoo would be stupid to turn down.

Kyungsoo sighed, flopping back on the bed with a muffled thud. The chains clinked and jangled noisily from the motion, swinging from side to side heavily. “I could tell you,” Kyungsoo began in a bored voice, “but I doubt you can help me with my problem, Jongin.” He added his name like he had almost forgotten to tack it on when he finished his sentence.

“Tell me anyway,” he insisted gently. Jongin wasn’t so certain Kyungsoo was beyond saving.

He didn’t start right away, staring up at the blackened ceiling of the warehouse. A fire had consumed the place years ago, burning almost everything away except for the metal frame of the structure itself. It still smelled faintly of soot, and black clouds of ash would materialize if one stepped hard enough on the ground.

“I was looking for a way to save my brother,” Kyungsoo said after a full minute of reluctance. Jongin didn’t say anything, leaning back into his chair.

“He’s sick— or was sick, I guess. The spell half worked, even if Azazel has a hold on me now,” Kyungsoo laughed bitterly. “It must’ve been a little over a week ago when I cast that spell to summon Paimon,” he counted on his fingers, “and I had done lots of research on him before that. _A lot_.

“The thing is, my brother had brain cancer and I knew that he wasn’t going to survive it. Two months from his diagnosis and he looked like he was already dead on his hospital bed just,” Kyungsoo couldn’t find the right words.

“He just wasted away right before my eyes. We only ever had each other ever since mom died, and I didn’t want to lose my brother like that. The doctors kept saying there was nothing they could do, but I learned a long time ago not to depend on others all the time. So I went looking for solutions of my own, even if they weren’t entirely orthodox.”

Jongin felt a lump lodge itself in his throat.

“Because I always had an interest in Christ imagery, demonology and all that stuff, I knew where to look, and at first I looked for ways to heal my brother on both sides … You know the funny thing is that God doesn’t give us all that much to work with. He tells us a lot of stuff about His Son and all his love for us but he doesn’t really leave proof of it or hides it all away,” Kyungsoo said thoughtfully.

“You lost faith, then? When you thought God did not want to help you?” Jongin asked hollowly. There were some things he knew about what God did in the past and some he did not, but it didn’t stop him from questioning God sometimes. It wasn’t that God didn’t love his children or stopped caring, but it was as if God simply stopped doing things, like he’d taken a back seat and decided to let time take the wheel.

“It’s not like I didn’t try to pray for help,” Kyungsoo turned to look at him.

“I went through a lot of books too, searched up spells online that didn’t involve a demon or Hell in some way. I tried so many spells till my brother was so tired and sick of it. He told me to quit trying to save him because if God wanted him home then he’d go at his scheduled time without a fuss,” Kyungsoo’s lower lip quivered. He quickly turned away, staring up at the ceiling again.

“And?” Jongin pressed him to continue.

“And then I decided to give up on being good. After I was sure I’d exhausted all heavenly options, I looked through summoning demons instead, demons who would grant you any wish for a price.”

It would not have been the first time someone was tempted by the offers demons made. No one would’ve blamed him for looking down that dark road.

Kyungsoo cleared his throat. “I was actually prepared to do anything for my brother at that point. If the demon wanted a virgin sacrificed or something, I’d do it. I’d find some girl at the bar looking for someone to sleep with and I’d kill her because I didn’t want my brother to die. I mean, I know I’m not God but if He wanted to take away someone good from this world then it was only fair that I took someone bad away too, right?”

“If you want to look at it that way,” Jongin shrugged.

He laughed, mouth turning up into a shape of a heart. Kyungsoo looked adorable that way, young and without any worries.

“I forgot that you’re an angel, Jongin. I guess you probably don’t see that way but at the time it felt right. It was a sin that I could live with and would go to Hell for because sure, it’s bad to murder someone but if it means giving my brother a chance to live and go to Heaven only when he’s all old and wrinkly…” Kyungsoo smiled gently, shaking his head.

“But you didn’t have to murder anyone in the end. Right?” Jongin asked.

“Nope. I was worrying and trying to pick out a victim for nothing. I summoned King Paimon one night after I finally gathered all the ingredients for the spell. He was really loud when he appeared, yelling and screaming like someone had stepped on his tail or something,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. Jongin laughed at that despite himself.

Kyungsoo smiled too, before he continued. “He asked me what I wanted, and I told him very clearly that I wanted my brother healed of all ailments so he could live out a normal lifespan. He was cool about it, said he could do it without a problem.”

Jongin sensed that was when everything went wrong. “Then what happened?” he whispered.

Kyungsoo frowned, trying to recall the events.

“I dunno actually. From then on, it’s like a blank; I can’t remember anything at all. I think I fell down at some point, I’m not too sure, but when I woke up it was morning and I was lying down on the living room floor. Everything looked okay, and I felt alright too. The phone rang just as I got up and it turns out that Seungsoo’s tests came out clear. It was a miracle, the doctor said on the phone, and told me I could pick Seungsoo up.”

“But I couldn’t. I suddenly felt like someone was shaking me up from the inside and this voice that I didn’t recognize just came out of my mouth and said to the doctor on the phone, ‘ _Tell him to fuck himself and get his own damned ride home._ ’”

 Kyungsoo looked down at his hands. “Then I knew something wasn’t right. The spell must’ve gone wrong even though Seungsoo is alright now. I tried my best to stay inside the house after the call till I think the demon got tired of fighting and just left me alone for a while.

When I checked the time on my watch at one point I suddenly realized that I’d been passed out for three days, just lying on the living room floor like a dead body. God only knows what Seungsoo would’ve thought when I didn’t visit him during those three days… I’ve been staying away from him since, ‘cause I don’t wanna hurt him or anyone else.”

“But how did you find out the demon was Azazel?” Jongin asked almost dreamily. He could hardly imagine the horror and the fear Kyungsoo must’ve been going through at the time, fighting a demon all on his own. The fact that he was still sitting here, talking to Jongin was a miracle in itself.

“He told me, actually. I’d read about him before, which he could see from my memories and was pretty proud that there were books with him in it. Not that it helped much to know who he was anyway…”

“On the contrary, it does, Kyungsoo. I can exorcise him from you, or if I can’t then I can get another angel to help me. From what I can tell, he probably doesn’t have as strong a hold on you just yet, so separating the two of you from one another shouldn’t be hard,” Jongin said informatively. Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows at Jongin.

“But I’m not done telling you everything though. I tried exorcising him from myself too, but Azazel said it was useless. Apparently, while I had been knocked out King Paimon bound my soul to his, and even though I can resist him for now he’s probably going to take over me soon.”

Jongin widened his eyes. “ _Bound your soul to Azazel_? But that would require a contract with your signature in blood or a given verbal permission to do so,” Jongin protested. There were ways, loopholes that humans could use to protect themselves from demons despite their power and manipulative tricks.

“Verbal permission? Well, I did say that I’d let him do anything he wanted with me—”

Jongin groaned loudly, holding his head in his hands. Dear Father in Heaven, this was much more complex a situation than Jongin ever intended it to be.

Kyungsoo had the audacity to look apologetic, sitting up to watch Jongin moan incoherently into his hands. “I told ya you should’ve killed me,” he said softly. Jongin sat up straight in his seat, thinking hard.

“Killing you would be the easy option, yes, but then again the easiest way is never usually the best way. There has to be some kind of way to tear you both apart and send Azazel back to where he came from… Perhaps I can consult my fellow angels and see what they might find,” Jongin tapped his chin, going through the options. In such a case like this, Suho could probably help; he was significantly more powerful than Jongin and could maybe force Azazel out of Kyungsoo.

“I might have to leave you alone for a while, Kyungsoo,” Jongin started to say.

“Why? Already tired of me?” Kyungsoo sat up.

“Hardly, Kyungsoo. This is a matter that I cannot fix alone and will require help from a few parties. I will return as soon as I can, maybe with some food. Do you think you’ll be alright?” Jongin said, picking up his coat and sword on the table.

Kyungsoo was unfazed. “Can you get me some pizza when you’re on the way back?” he drawled lazily.

Jongin nodded. “I will try. Oh, and the drink I gave you works for three hours, so if there’s anything you want to do like call your brother and explain yourself then I suggest you do it now. I shall return before it wears off,” he shrugged his coat on.

“You’re really not going to bring me? You’re just gonna leave me here in chains like this?” Kyungsoo asked in a sulky voice.

“I did say I would try to return with pizza,” Jongin smiled, fixing his sword to his side.

“Hmph. Okay then. Bye honey, have a good day at work!” Kyungsoo called as Jongin walked away. He didn’t know what Kyungsoo was on about but he did like the way Kyungsoo called him honey.

 


	2. oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood

“You want me to _what_?” Chanyeol yelled, slamming both hands on the desk. Cracks fissured from under his palms, the desk giving a dangerous groan.

Jongin tried to remain objective, taking a deep breath. “Look, I wouldn’t ask if I knew any other—” Chanyeol held up a finger, jabbing it in Jongin’s direction. “That. You hear that? It’s the sound of a _liar_.You know perfectly well what you should be doing in such a situation—”

“I do know, Chanyeol, and I can’t go through with it!” Jongin cut in. He had stopped by at Chanyeol’s apartment after he had contacted Suho to tell him what Kyungsoo had been through.

Suho was surprisingly curt about it, telling him to just finish Kyungsoo off since there wasn’t much they could do. Jongin paused for a moment before he said he would look into other ways to salvage Kyungsoo’s soul. He wasn’t going to give up so easily on the boy just because Suho told him to.

_‘You get a day, Jongin, or you have to kill him off. The longer Azazel remains on this plane with his hold on the boy, the more powerful he gets and we can’t risk a Greater Demon like him on our hands. It’d be too bloody, too messy and too many innocent people would be involved.’_

Jongin could see why Suho wasn’t prepared to get his hands dirty, but there was also a risk that if Azazel’s hold on Kyungsoo was strong enough, they could still kill him and allow Azazel to occupy Kyungsoo’s dead body once Kyungsoo’s soul departed, probably to Hell. And that was a whole lot riskier than what he was propositioning to Chanyeol now; to try and enter Kyungsoo’s body to break the bond between the two together while it was still tentative.

“But Jongin you have to see that this is illegal! If the boy dies or we make things worse, we’ll both be thrown out of Heaven,” Chanyeol pleaded with Jongin.

“We have to try, Chanyeol,” Jongin insisted.

He had told him about what Suho wanted of him, and he wasn’t going to go through with it, not till he had tried every other option. Chanyeol was the best angel to have on his side if they worked together to break the hold Azazel had on Kyungsoo’s soul; Chanyeol was only one rank lower than Suho himself and more gullible too.

“It’s too crazy, Jongin! How do you even know the boy can hold a demon and two angels inside him at one time?” he threw up his arms.

“Why not? There was a man who held a hundred angels inside of him back in Jesus’ time,” Jongin chided Chanyeol. He seemed to believe the ploy at first then glared at Jongin suspiciously.

“Y-you just made that up, you idiot. No, I won’t help you, not for all the gold in the—”

“Think about Kyungsoo’s soul, Chanyeol. Think about losing him to Hell just because you don’t want to help me and at least try to save his soul,” Jongin tried another angle. Every angel had been told explicitly that the souls of the Lord’s children counted, no matter big or small, sinful or a saint. Each one they lost to Hell, Lucifer grew stronger while the Lord would weep for the damned soul He had created.

“This will be on your conscience and mine if you don’t help me,” Jongin said slowly as Chanyeol absorbed Jongin’s words.

He ran his hands through his hair, allowing his ears to stick out from underneath his shaggy mane. Chanyeol had an especially good heart, Jongin knew. His low tolerance for violence meant that he did his part on Earth by working for a non-profit organization helping the homeless, particularly children, instead of killing demons like Jongin. 

“I hate you, you know that, Jongin? I really do. Why can’t you just leave this to Suho if you don’t want to be the one who kills the boy?” Chanyeol asked.

Jongin hesitated. He didn’t want to see Kyungsoo killed, no matter who did it. After hearing Kyungsoo’s story he felt compelled to try for him after he had done so much to save his brother. It was the least Jongin could do for him, and it would truly be a waste if he died without the chance of ever seeing his brother again. He’d rather give up being an angel than see Kyungsoo die.

“You haven’t heard his story,” was all Jongin managed to say. “He deserves it, Chanyeol. And if you really won’t help me with this, I can do it on my own or die trying,” Jongin stood up to leave. Perhaps he could ask Baekhyun instead—

Chanyeol reached out to grab his arm.

“Now, don’t be proud, Jongin,” he said, wagging his finger at Jongin like a parent trying to discipline an errant child.

“You’ll help me?” Jongin asked hopefully.

“I’ll help you just this one time, but if it doesn’t work then you’re on your own,” he said seriously. “I can’t be a part of this if it gets too dangerous.”

It was good enough for Jongin.

-

They were a few minutes away from the abandoned warehouse, standing at a zebra crossing when they suddenly heard a shriek far off into the distance. It sounded far away, could’ve been the cry of a seagull but it sounded eerily human too… Jongin and Chanyeol looked at each other.

“Is it…?” Chanyeol raised his eyebrows slightly. Jongin checked his watch; it had only been two hours since he’d left Kyungsoo alone. Surely the drink didn’t wear off so quickly?

“I think we’d better hurry,” Jongin said.

They set off running just as the light turned green, trying not to bump into people as they weaved through the thick crowd. The city was busy now that it was rush hour, and that meant a lot of people around and far too many obstacles in their way. Jongin was suddenly very afraid for Kyungsoo.

“Did you give him that drink Sehun came up with?” Chanyeol asked him, brushing past a group of students walking together on the sidewalk.

“I did, two hours ago. It shouldn’t be wearing off just yet, should it?” Jongin frowned.

“Well, didn’t you say it was Azazel?” Chanyeol replied.

Jongin’s expression turned stony when he heard that. Of course, he should’ve guessed earlier that the effect would probably wear off faster if it was a Greater Demon. They had only ever tested out the drink on a human possessed with a lowly Moloch demon, and those demons were ranked at the bottom in the demon hierarchy.

“Then Kyungsoo might be in trouble. Hurry!” Jongin said, taking a sharp turn to the right into an alleyway.

There was no more room for subtlety or to pretend he had human limits; Jongin scaled the wall at the end of the alley with his hands and hopped onto the roof of a building, running to the direction of the warehouse. Chanyeol had no problem catching up since he had longer legs as well, keeping up with Jongin as they ran.

Above all the hustle and traffic, the shrieks were louder and clearer. Jongin could tell it was Kyungsoo’s voice.

“What are you gonna do when we get there?” Chanyeol asked, shouting over the wind.

“Knock him out, it’s better for him to be unconscious when we enter him anyway,” Jongin replied. It seemed like Azazel could not control him if he wasn’t awake which could be an advantage later for them.

They were close to the warehouse now, and they jumped off the roof quickly and resumed running. Jongin was afraid that the shrieks would attract the attention of some other angel or maybe even a human somewhere in the area. He didn’t need more people dragged into the situation and pushed himself harder to get to the warehouse.

Since they were coming from the wrong direction, Jongin had to wrench apart the back entrance instead of entering from the front. He didn’t wait to see Chanyeol’s appalled expression at his actions.

A few large steps later and he burst out onto the main space where Kyungsoo was, shivering and convulsing uncontrollably on the ground, his clothes dirty and the demon’s figure flickering over his body. His chest fell and rose rapidly like he couldn’t breathe fast enough before he took a deep breath and screamed, his voice echoing in the warehouse.

“Kyungsoo!” Jongin called, barely able to hear his own voice over his scream. He went down on his knees and shook him hard, trying to bring him back.

“Help me,” Kyungsoo shouted loudly at him, face red and blotchy with tears. His large eyes were wild and fearful. It looked like Azazel was struggling to gain control over his body as he twisted this way and that in Jongin’s hands, his fists clenched tight. Jongin felt like he was in a nightmare, watching Kyungsoo suffer and break apart before him.

“What are you waiting for? Do it,” Chanyeol said urgently from behind Jongin.

He shut his eyes tight, letting go of Kyungsoo. “I’m sorry,” he whispered even though Kyungsoo probably couldn’t hear him. He felt Kyungsoo’s fingers reaching for him, grasping at thin air. Azazel was probably starting to surface over Kyungsoo’s consciousness.

Jongin drew his hand back quickly and felt it connect with Kyungsoo’s jawwhen he swung it down.He heard Kyungsoo collapse back on the ground with a muffled thump and he panted heavily, all the air going out of him like a deflated balloon. The sudden quiet scared Jongin more than possessed Kyungsoo did.

He cracked open one eye and saw Kyungsoo lying unconscious in the soot and dirt, blood dribbling from his mouth once more. His arms lay at an awkward angle, splayed out over the dirty floor. Chanyeol gave a sigh of relief beside Jongin, kneeling down to cradle Kyungsoo’s face in his hands.

“Is he alright?” Jongin gulped, swallowing the thick lump wedged in his throat.

Chanyeol brushed his finger over Kyungsoo’s bruised jaw, pressing down gently at some spots. “You broke his jaw, but I think I can heal it,” he said gently.

Jongin let Chanyeol carry Kyungsoo to the bed while he struggled to catch his breath, beating a steady rhythm on his chest so his heart could go back to beating normally. He didn’t know what just happened, that moment when he was frozen with fear. That had never happened to him before, not in all the time he spent killing demons.

Chanyeol worked on Kyungsoo carefully, his fingers hovering over Kyungsoo’s jaw with a soft golden glow. Being ranked higher than Jongin had its own set of abilities that Jongin didn’t have, like healing non-fatal injuries.

Jongin had to sit on the chair and collect himself while Chanyeol healed Kyungsoo by the bed. His head was blank and devoid of any thoughts other than Kyungsoo’s face twisted in pain and fear.Jongin didn’t want to give up on Kyungsoo, but to see the full extent of Azazel’s influence upon him…

When Chanyeol was done with Kyungsoo, he came over and placed a hand on Jongin’s shoulder.

“You okay?”

Jongin nodded numbly.

“Look that was a pretty tense moment. You don’t have to feel ashamed you hesitated for a second there,” Chanyeol tried to comfort him.

“It’s not because I hesitated,” Jongin mumbled, looking away from Chanyeol. “It’s because he looked so far gone. I was afraid that maybe I had taken too long and that I wouldn’t be able to save him, and it would’ve been my fault—”

“It wasn’t your fault Azazel overcame the effect of the drink,” Chanyeol interrupted him. “Don’t judge yourself so harshly, Jongin. Take it as a lesson instead; now you know a Greater Demon is definitely greater than any other lowly demon, and you can expect some of that when we try to take him down.”

 _And I won’t let Kyungsoo down again_ , Jongin thought.

He would save this boy with bright eyes and cherry red lips shaped like a heart whenever he smiled. There was something wholesome about him, something that gave Jongin faith in the world. If anything, he wanted to be the one to let Kyungsoo see his brother again.

“Anyway, you ready now? Or do you need another minute?” Chanyeol asked, cracking his knuckles.  Jongin took a deep breath to calm himself. This time he couldn’t fail Kyungsoo. This time would be the last time. He could end this now for Kyungsoo and all of them could go home peacefully. 

“I’m ready,” he said determinedly, standing up to remove his coat and sword. Chanyeol clapped his hands once together and nodded proudly at him. “A-hah. Now that’s more like it. Bring the chair over and sit here.”

He joined hands together with Kyungsoo’s unconscious body and Chanyeol, closing his eyes at Chanyeol’s instruction. Jongin had never tried to enter a human body that still had a soul residing in it on top of a Greater Demon but Chanyeol seemed to know what to do. Maybe he’d done this before, heal someone from the inside.

“Don’t let go of Kyungsoo’s hand, alright? Just relax and connect with me. I’ll guide you,” Chanyeol said.

Jongin reached for Chanyeol with his mind easily, the connection made that much faster with their hands joined together. He could feel Chanyeol’s energy gathering up somehow, like a ball squeezing in on itself, dense and heavy.

 _‘Follow my voice, Jongin. Follow me while I guide you into Kyungsoo’s consciousness,’_ Chanyeol’s voice brushed against Jongin’s mind like a feather. Jongin tried his hardest to concentrate on Chanyeol, allowing him to take hold of his mind like he would take his hand in real life, tugging him gently into the right direction.

Jongin wasn’t sure how it felt, exactly. It was like walking down a pitch black tunnel in his sleep with only Chanyeol’s presence to guide him, though he couldn’t actually _see_ anything. Then he felt some kind of resistance, like he’d walked right into some invisible cobwebs.

_‘Just push on through, Jongin, you can do it. It’s only Kyungsoo’s natural resistance to someone entering his conscious but it shouldn’t be a problem now that he isn’t awake.’_

Jongin forged on ahead like Chanyeol told him to, somehow pushing past the resistance. After that, it was like walking deeper into the dark tunnel again, and that went on for a few seconds before he felt something once more.

A snarl or a whispered threat echoing through his thoughts. One that neither he nor Chanyeol made. He felt the hackles rise on the back of his neck; Chanyeol must’ve felt it too.

 _‘That’s Azazel now. He knows we’re here with him. Be ready,’_ Chanyeol said, his voice significantly lower than it was before. Jongin felt adrenaline, mind sharpening and zooming in on the slightest of noises.

_‘Can he hear us?’_

_‘I can, angel, and you’d do well preparing yourself for me. It’s been a while since I’ve fought an angel, let alone two,_ ’ a third voice replied, sounding amused. Jongin tensed but he could feel Chanyeol sending his waves of reassurance. Two angels could certainly contend with one Greater Demon. He tried not to worry so much; it would only cost him his concentration.

 _‘And how long has it been since you’ve seen Earth, Azazel? Perhaps ever since you fell from Heaven?’_ Jongin snapped.

 _‘Tetchy. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought you were jealous of me, angel,’_ Azazel chuckled, low and evil. Jongin found himself getting annoyed with the filthy demon; there was nothing to be jealous about when Azazel did not have the Father behind him.

 _‘We’ve come to break your bonds with the boy, Azazel. Leave willingly now, and we’ll let you live,’_ Chanyeol said, his voice loud in Jongin’s thoughts.

‘ _Let **me** live? You think me under your power?’_ the demon demanded.

Jongin could feel the demon’s presence expanding in Kyungsoo’s conscious, pooling around Jongin and Chanyeol like a sinister pool of evil and malevolence. He wondered if Kyungsoo was somewhere here, unaware of what was going on but still here like a silent audience.

 _‘We do not think you under our power. We simply think of you as a pest to be exterminated before you can do any more damage to this poor boy you’re holding onto,’_ Chanyeol said calmly.

Azazel laughed, his voice jarringly loud in Jongin’s thoughts. It was a mocking laughter, as if he knew something they did not. Jongin wanted to shut him up and drive his sword through Azazel’s heart, scatter his remains all over the Earth so he could never be reborn for all eternity.

 _‘Even if I leave the boy, angel, he will come with me. We are bound now, soul to soul. You cannot break us,’_ he hissed.

 _‘But there’s certainly no harm in trying, is there?’_ Jongin said. He let his grace pour forth abruptly, flooding Kyungsoo’s conscious with blinding light. Chanyeol followed his lead, their angelic light causing the demon to shrink back and hiss like a cornered wild animal. If Kyungsoo were awake now, all he would see and feel was the clean, bright burn of the angels’ grace cutting through his thoughts like a knife.

Azazel’s presence receded some, but not totally. Jongin knew he would retaliate and that he did, filling Kyungsoo’s conscious with his roar as he pushed back his darkness on their grace, trying to force them out.

Jongin pushed right back with all the might he could muster through his thoughts, unrelenting against the Greater Demon.

Good always won out against evil and he was confident that this time would be no different; bound or not, the demon had to leave Kyungsoo and this dimension. Having Chanyeol on his side was a plus; his grace was much brighter than Jongin’s, close to double in strength. Azazel’s darkness suddenly faltered slightly, as if the bond between him and Kyungsoo had tripped. He recovered quickly, the darkness increasing in strength and size around Chanyeol and Jongin.

 _‘Let go of the boy, angel. He’s already mine anyway,’_ Azazel said in a soothing, gentle voice.

 _‘He doesn’t belong to the likes of you,’_ Jongin argued, pushing his grace further into Kyungsoo’s thoughts. If they could wipe clean Azazel’s taint from Kyungsoo’s conscious then there was a chance they could sever the bond between them while it was still at a moderate level.

Azazel’s strength didn’t seem to be diminishing at all though. It was just a steady thrum against Jongin’s grace, like a heavy object blocking a door.

 _‘So you think the boy belongs to your Father, the tyrant who thinks he can rule the world with his word alone?’_ the demon asked.

 _‘The boy belongs to himself and doesn’t have to be suppressed by filthy scum like you,’_ Chanyeol replied. They were doing fine against Azazel together but Jongin could feel a stirring, a fourth presence slowly awakening to their energies. Kyungsoo.

 _‘Ah, the boy is waking up now. Would you like to ask him if he belongs to me, to you, or to himself?’_ Azazel cackled with glee. _‘Better yet, you can explain yourselves when he wakes up to searing pain from all the energy you’re putting in his head, all that heavenly grace in one teeny, tiny boy’s little brain.’_

 _‘We can’t do this if Kyungsoo wakes up, you know,’_ Chanyeol said to Jongin. _‘He’ll die from the pressure we’re putting him under.’_

 _‘Just a little longer,’_ Jongin insisted, pushing his grace to the maximum. Kyungsoo would be in pain for a while once he started to realize there were more than just himself and Azazel in his head; Jongin knew Kyungsoo was strong, could probably take more than an average human. He pushed at Azazel’s darkness, trying to get his connection to trip again.

 _‘Stop, Jongin, Kyungsoo will feel that,’_ Chanyeol said in a panicked voice.

 _‘He’ll understand once we get the pest out of him once and for all,’_ Jongin shoved hard even as Azazel pressed down on him. Kyungsoo’s consciousness slowly solidified around them like water freezing over to become stiff ice. Getting Azazel out would be harder now but they were close to bending him over, Jongin could tell—

 _‘Jongin, we_ have _to leave, Kyungsoo’s in pain now!’_ Chanyeol shouted.

Jongin ignored him. Azazel chuckled.

_‘You see the difference between you and I, angel? You want to save someone who doesn’t need it, and I know where to draw the line between risk and danger. The question is, do you?’_

Before he knew it, Chanyeol was pulling Jongin roughly out of Kyungsoo’s thoughts, dragging him back into his own consciousness. He could still hear Azazel chuckling in his thoughts when he jolted back into his body and found himself sprawled all over Kyungsoo’s chest. Jongin pulled back in amazement and stared at Kyungsoo, who was just starting to frown as he stirred from his sleep.

Chanyeol slapped a hand over Kyungsoo’s forehead quickly, gesturing for Jongin to get out of the chair. “Get the drink for him now. I’ll hold Azazel down.”

*

“Huh. So that’s why my head hurts,” Kyungsoo said, rubbing his eyes.

He returned as his normal self after Jongin had to force feed him some of the liquid that kept Azazel away while Chanyeol held his mouth open. Kyungsoo had been disoriented and confused for the first few minutes before he asked Jongin, “So where’s the pizza you said you would get?”

Chanyeol left them to get said pizza for dinner while Jongin sat down on the bed beside Kyungsoo, recalling all that had happened while he was away up till he returned a few minutes ago.

“Once again, I’m awfully sorry about leaving you—”

“Oh, shut up Jongin, you didn’t know the drink wouldn’t work well on me. I sort of guessed it when Azazel started whispering in my ear, then he tried to,” Kyungsoo gestured vaguely with his hands, placing them on his chest and spreading them upwards, his fingers opening up like a blossom.

Jongin bit his lip guiltily, taking Kyungsoo’s hand in his. Kyungsoo’s hands were slightly rough, their appearance somehow manlier than Jongin’s fingers despite being smaller in size. Jongin thought they showed the different kind of experiences they had in their lives; Kyungsoo’s hands were fairer but indicated a life that wasn’t easy. Jongin’s hands were strong but his fingers were slimmer, a sign he thought that meant he had not gone through true hardship. How Kyungsoo seemed unaffected and light through it all was beyond Jongin.

“What… does it feel like when Azazel starts to come up to the surface?” Jongin whispered, as if he was afraid someone would hear them.

Kyungsoo smiled thoughtfully. “That’s actually a good way of putting it. That drink, whatever it’s called, kinda holds him down underwater right now but like, I can still feel him. Like when you eat Mexican food and it’s churning in your tummy,” Kyungsoo elaborated. Jongin only understood half of that but nodded anyway.

“Yeah, but when he’s there it’s like,” Kyungsoo sucked in a breath of air through his teeth, “I don’t know. I feel like I’m being pushed aside at the controls and someone else just sits there doing things with my body while I’m just watching, y’know?”

That, Jongin understood. Many victims of demon possession described their experience similar to what Kyungsoo said. However, he surprised Jongin when he continued: “Of course, when I tussle back for my body that’s probably the hardest part. My head kinda hurts ‘cause Azazel is pretty strong and all, and he fights back too. Sometimes he lets me take a little bit of control when I talk but other than that, it’s like fighting a rhino,” Kyungsoo shook his head.

“You know, Kyungsoo,” Jongin hesitated briefly, “most people aren’t able to fight back. They’re usually paralyzed inside while the demon takes complete control. Maybe you’re… stronger than you think,” Jongin finished, itching to touch Kyungsoo’s face to see if his skin was as soft and milky as it looked.

Kyungsoo was shy at that, looking down at their loosely intertwined fingers over Jongin’s thigh. He tightened his fingers gently over Jongin’s hands almost absently.

“What—”

“Hey guys,” Chanyeol’s deep voice interrupted Kyungsoo. He pushed the large metal door of the warehouse open, carrying three pizza boxes in his arms.

Jongin smiled apologetically at Kyungsoo and got up to get the pizzas from Chanyeol. He met Chanyeol halfway in the middle of the empty space, digging into his pocket for money to pay for the pizzas. Chanyeol saw what he was doing and shook his head, pushing the pizza boxes to Jongin.

“No, no, you don’t have to pay for them. Consider them as my last favor for today,” Chanyeol said. Jongin frowned, taking the pizza boxes from him. They were warm against his chest.

“You’re not…?”

“I told you I wouldn’t stay if it got too dangerous,” Chanyeol shrugged. Jongin started to protest but Chanyeol was already shaking his head and hands together, silencing Jongin.

“I still consider you one of my comrades, Jongin, no doubt about that. You’re a great fighter, you have a really big heart and I can see why you want to save Kyungsoo so badly but— but I can’t help you out on this one,” he patted Jongin’s shoulder.

“I hope you understand though, I know it might seem like I’m trying to save my own skin here but I’m actually pulling out before anything major happens. I don’t want to have Kyungsoo’s blood on my hands—”

“We almost had him, Chanyeol,” Jongin insisted, “Azazel faltered for the briefest of seconds when we surprised him; I think it’s a sign that their bond has some faults despite its strength—”

Chanyeol waved at Kyungsoo, who was looking at them expectantly. Jongin turned around and sent him a nervous smile. “I know, Jongin, I felt it too when I was there with you. But you have to see it the way I do even if you’re into Kyungsoo—”

“I’m what?” Jongin cut in. He must’ve heard wrongly.

Chanyeol shut up, a frazzled expression upon his face.“Y-you… you like him, don’t you? I thought this was why you were trying to save him, Jongin. Don’t you have a little crush on him or something?” he furrowed his eyebrows together.

Jongin sputtered indignantly, unable to string a sentence together properly. His face grew hot as he tried to explain himself.

“I-I don’t—”

“It’s not like that?”

“Yes, exactly—”

“He’s a human, you’re an angel, oh, it’s so terribly wrong to be gay?” Chanyeol sang, taking the words straight out of Jongin’s mouth. All the air just went out of Jongin and his shoulders slumped as he frowned at Chanyeol.

“H-how do you… how did you know I was going to say that?”

Chanyeol gave him a condescending look. “ _Jongin_. Nobody is this desperate to save a boy from demon possession for one, and two, I saw the way you smiled at him. And three, it’s alright to like him y’know, you’re technically an angel with no gender,” Chanyeol shrugged nonchalantly. “So you don’t have to think about how wrong it is that the both of you are boys.”

“B-b-but Father—”

“Father doesn’t make mistakes,” Chanyeol jabbed a finger at Jongin’s chest. “If you were in a girl’s body, it would’ve been fine, wouldn’t it? I think you’ve just been in this vessel for far too long till you got that little rule stuck in your head. Plus, it only applies to humans… I think. Good thing you’re not human, hm?” Chanyeol wiggled his eyebrows at him suggestively. Before Jongin could think of a reply he flounced off, waving wildly at Kyungsoo at the far end of the warehouse.

“Bye, Kyungsoo! Hope I see you soon!”

Kyungsoo waved innocently back like a child, his mouth curling into a sweet smile. Jongin’s chest ached at the sight of it as he sauntered back with the pizza Kyungsoo had requested, placing them on the bed beside Kyungsoo.

“ _Finally_. What were you both mumbling about? Was it something about me?” Kyungsoo asked, flipping the pizza box open like an expert. The smell of baked bread and warm cheese reached Jongin’s nostrils; he’d never indulged in pizza before, had always heard of it though this would be the first time trying it. Kyungsoo picked up a slice of his own, strings of cheese clinging to his slice. Jongin watched him bite down on it, eyes rolling back as he chewed.

“Oh God, Jongin, this is so good,” he gushed, crumbs flying out of his mouth.

“Is it?” Jongin took his reaction as a positive sign and reached for a slice of his own, taking a small bite.

It was piping hot in his mouth, bursting with flavor and texture. He swallowed his first bite quickly, taking a bigger bite out of the slice of pizza. Kyungsoo lifted an eyebrow at him. “You’ve never had pizza?”

Jongin shook his head, tasting the cheese on his mouth; it was more than just savory and salty. _Goodness_ ; that was the word. Kyungsoo grinned at the expression on Jongin’s face.

“You’re missing out, you know.”

Jongin nodded furiously. Why hadn’t any of the other angels talked to him about this? This was one of the experiences he thought he was missing, all the small things in life that made a person inexplicably human.

While he devoured the pizzas slice by slice, Jongin soon got his thoughts in order and started to formulate a Plan B to get Azazel out of Kyungsoo. He knew he couldn’t ask an angel for help at this point; they wouldn’t dare to get their hands dirty and would back away the minute they knew just exactly who was residing somewhere inside Kyungsoo. But he couldn’t do this alone either, not without some form of divine help…

“I have a friend,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo nodded.

“He’s human, like you. He might be able to help you but he isn’t the friendliest of people. I’m not supposed to speak to him till two months have passed, so I don’t know how I can talk to him without him getting angry…” Jongin mumbled.

“Oh. Jongin, you don’t have to,” Kyungsoo shook his head.

“Don’t have to what?” Jongin replied.

“You don’t have to try so hard to save me. I appreciate all you’ve done for me so far but anyone can guess you’re going to some pretty great lengths to help me out here, and I think this is the part where I say I’m good, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, chomping thoughtfully on his pizza. “The whole point of this in the first place was to save my brother, and I did. Even though the cost has been pretty high… I want to do this for him. A life for a life, y’know? You can just walk away from this now, and in a few days Azazel will probably surface—”

“I will save you, Kyungsoo,” Jongin said slowly, cutting Kyungsoo off, “I see the sacrifices you’ve made and the ones that you are about to make, but your sincerity is more than enough. I won’t let him take you,” Jongin dropped the pizza back into the box and took Kyungsoo’s hand, meeting his bewildered gaze.

“You’re an angel Jongin, don’t you have to be objective in your judgment and all that?” Kyungsoo said in a low, wavering voice.

“That’s God. And maybe,” Jongin bit his lip before he continued, “maybe I’m tired of being who I am.”

*

Jongin knocked on the door of Sehun’s apartment. He was nervous like never before; Jongin had never gone back on his word in his lifetime here on Earth, not once. Lately, he’d been doing a lot of things for the first time.

“Who is it?” Sehun called in a strained voice.

He shuffled nervously. “I-It’s me.”

The door flung open and Jongin felt something jab into his chest the same time Sehun met his gaze, glaring as if he was about to kill him. Jongin looked down at his chest and saw that Sehun probably did want to kill him; a fishing spear rested at the very centre of Jongin’s chest, the sharp tip biting into his skin.

“I knew you’d be back,” Sehun shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” Jongin said at once.

Kyungsoo had given him some very useful advice the night before. “ _Apologies and time heal almost any wound,_ ” he’d whispered in Jongin’s ear; it was but one snippet of the rest of the conversation they had during the entire night till they finally fell asleep on the bed in each other’s arms at dawn. Hopefully, it’d be useful in this situation.

“Yeah? Well, you should be, Jongin. I _knew_ you angels can’t stay away from me even after you tried to throw me out of your precious union—”

“I’m sorry,” Jongin repeated, a little louder. Sehun blinked at him uncertainly. Then he jammed the spear harder into Jongin’s chest, the sharp tip threatening to pierce into his body. Jongin took a slight step back.

“I’m sorry that I said I would stay away, Sehun. I won’t because yes, I need you again but also because you’re my friend. Friends don’t stay away from each other,” Jongin said, placing a hand over the spear. Sehun stared at him for a long hard moment. It felt like a year before he finally pulled the spear away from Jongin, smirking smugly at him.

“Wasn’t so hard to admit that after all these years, huh?” Sehun drawled.

 _That was all he needed to hear?_ Jongin thought. If Suho could apologize to Sehun for treating him badly in the past then maybe the relationship between him and the angels wouldn’t be so strained (that was if Suho could get past his pride of being above humans).

Sehun didn’t step aside for Jongin right away, gaze assessing Jongin carefully. “Are you here for that boy?” he asked, a sardonic smile upon his lips.

Jongin’s eyebrows shot up under his mussed fringe. “You know about him?”

Sehun shrugged. “I have my ways. I felt it when you entered that apartment, for one, and I sure as hell felt it when you knocked him out. Then all the demons in town suddenly responded to Azazel’s call and I traced it back all the way to that warehouse near the sea. And what do I find? A cute boy screaming for help from you while you look on, desperately looking for some way not to hurt him.”

Jongin blushed, looking away from Sehun.

“D’you like him, Jongin?” Sehun asked. He could hear the amusement in his voice. Jongin didn’t know why it was so funny if he did feel some sort of affection for Kyungsoo. He was a beautiful boy, so purely human and strong. What’s not to like?

“He’s human. I’m obliged to save him,” Jongin elbowed past Sehun forcefully into the apartment. Sehun laughed at that, stumbling back weakly and kicking the door shut.

“Yeah, and I’m just as much obliged to help you out on this because I _totally_ owe you a favor,” Sehun said sarcastically, “it’s no big deal if you like him, y’know, there’re plenty of guys who like guys. ‘Course you probably think it’s weird since you’re from Heaven and you’re in a male vessel,” Sehun gave him a once over look.

“You’re not taking your gender _that_ seriously, are you?”

“No, I’m not!” Jongin protested louder than he wanted to. It wasn’t because he was in a male vessel. “Even if there are as many males out there, as you say, cavorting around with other males, it doesn’t change that the Lord doesn’t appreciate it,” Jongin grimaced.

Sehun rolled his eyes, setting his fishing spear down beside the front door. It wasn’t there when Jongin was here two days ago; perhaps he had decided to amp up security and diversify his décor at the same time. “Lord _schmord_ , Jongin. No one really cares what he thinks anymore except for you guys.” He leaned against the door across Jongin, folding his arms.

“If you like him, then you like him,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone that Jongin thought sounded condescending.

“I appreciate the advice but it is clearly not what I came for,” Jongin shot at Sehun.

“You’ll need it anyway. And if my love advice isn’t exactly what you came for then what is it? You can’t kill a demon now ‘cause you wanna let the boy think you’re a pacifist?” Sehun asked, obviously enjoying this.

A little reluctantly, Jongin explained everything briefly up to Chanyeol walking away from them. Sehun looked amused at first then mildly surprised when King Paimon and Azazel came up. Everyone who knew anything about the supernatural world knew that those were strong contenders against most angels.

“So now that Chanyeol isn’t there to help you… You’re here because you need help, don’t you? Some juice to boost your grace so you don’t get crushed under Azazel’s dark power.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it,” Jongin nodded.

“Well, sadly I don’t have anything at my disposal right now, Jongin. Nothing I have with me is powerful enough to burn away the bond Kyungsoo and Azazel has between them,” Sehun held out his hands half heartedly in apology.

That was where Jongin’s idea came in. “I know you don’t have anything that powerful, but… I do,” Jongin held his coat open to reveal his sword concealed at his side.

Sehun cocked an eyebrow.

“You want to use your sword on Azazel? That’s actually a great idea but you can’t actually bring it _into_ Kyungsoo without killing him in the process.”

“But if someone who is immensely capable and experienced with the heavenly fire trapped in this sword can transfer it into me then I won’t kill Kyungsoo, now would I?” Jongin said with a wry grin. Sehun caught his drift and stroked his chin with a finger, a smile playing on his lips.

“You know, that’s the best thing an angel has ever come up with. Fuck, let’s do it.”

“It will be dangerous. For all of us, not just Kyungsoo,” Jongin felt compelled to point out in case Sehun wasn’t getting the big picture.

“I’m only doing this because it _is_ dangerous. And it’s not going to be a problem; if you die or Kyungsoo dies I already know what’s going on so,” Sehun shrugged with a bright smile on his face, “good luck.”

-

“Kyungsoo, we’ve finally found a way to help you!” Jongin said the second he entered the warehouse. He spotted Kyungsoo lying on the bed who turned his head into Jongin’s direction when he heard his voice.

Kyungsoo sat up. “Oh Jesus, thank God, you’re here and with a friend too. Listen, um—” he suddenly jolted with a choked noise, body going stiff. Sehun and Jongin stopped in their tracks, the both of them equally surprised. Kyungsoo’s face scrunched up in pain as he doubled over, nearly falling over the edge of the bed before his body went limp once more and he clutched at his chest as if he was afraid his heart would beat out of his chest, panting heavily.

Jongin immediately rushed over, jogging to Kyungsoo’s side to make sure he was alright. “Are you okay?” he asked, holding his head up gently in both hands. Upon closer inspection, he could see the sheen of sweat over Kyungsoo’s face, his skin pulled tight over his face. Kyungsoo looked rather green in the face, clutching Jongin’s arm tightly.

“I’m fine now b-but I think,” he sucked in a deep breath, “the drink you’ve been giving me isn’t working that well anymore. Everything started to hurt a few minutes ago and—” he stiffened once more, fighting some kind of internal battle against Azazel.

His fingers dug into Jongin’s arm painfully, feet kicking around restlessly before he fell back again, breathing shakily. Jongin dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve, hushing him gently.

“If the drink’s effects are weakening then it means Azazel is close to breaking him, Jongin. We need to do this now,” Sehun said over his shoulder tonelessly. Jongin nodded, placing Kyungsoo back on the bed.

“Kyungsoo, we’re going to help you now, okay? Do you think you can hold on just a little bit longer?” Jongin asked, taking off his coat and flinging it over his shoulder. He undid his sword from his belt hurriedly, unsheathing and passing it to Sehun, hilt first. Kyungsoo laughed humorlessly.

“I honestly don’t know, Jongin,” he said in a low voice, the muscles of his face jerking.

“I’ll save your soul, Kyungsoo, if you’ll give me the chance.” Jongin began to pull Kyungsoo’s chains apart with his hands, freeing his limbs one by one while Sehun tugged the chair aside and pulled the table away from the wall, clunking Jongin’s sword on it and chanting in ancient Enochian under his breath. His hands hovered over the sword, occasionally brushing its sharp edge. Kyungsoo eyed him weakly from the bed, lying limp on his back.

“Your friend looks familiar,” he murmured to Jongin. He had both hands free now and only needed the chains off his ankles.

“I have one of those faces,” Sehun mumbled back.

Jongin pried the final chain around Kyungsoo’s left ankle with a yell, breaking it into two and throwing it aside. “Kyungsoo, I’m going to have to move you now,” he said as a warning before he lifted Kyungsoo up in his arms. Kyungsoo winced but didn’t protest, allowing Jongin to carry him over to the chair and set him upon it. He adjusted himself on the chair, trying to sit up properly.

“What are you going to do to me?” Kyungsoo asked breathlessly. He was starting to grow pale like a dying patient. Jongin didn’t answer his question right away, guilt holding his tongue. He turned away to tugat the chains attached to the wall, pulling with all his might. They came off a second later and the entire wall groaned ominously.

“I’m going to have to bind you to this chair, Kyungsoo,” Jongin said, unable to meet his gaze.

“Then, Sehun is going to tranquilize you after he transfers the heavenly fire from my sword into me, so I and Azazel are equals in battle.” Jongin swung the rusty chains around Kyungsoo’s body and the back of the chair, allowing him a little space to move about. Kyungsoo huffed a laugh, coughing halfway.

“Battle. You make it sound like my soul is worth fighting for,” Kyungsoo slurred, eyes sliding shut.

“It is,” Jongin insisted, winding the chains loosely to the legs of the chair. He glanced at Sehun and saw that his sword was glowing beneath his hands now; he only had about a minute more with Kyungsoo before he had to be tranquilized, and Lord only knew if Kyungsoo would come back to him.

“You let me fight this for you, Kyungsoo,” Jongin whispered fiercely, placing both hands on either side of Kyungsoo’s face. “I _want_ to save you and you _deserve_ to be saved because there’s no one else like you in this world. No one.”

Kyungsoo slit his eyes open blearily at Jongin. For a moment, he thought he’d already lost him to Azazel but then he said, “That sounds like you’re into me, Jongin.”

“Jongin, your sword is ready. Open up,” Sehun interrupted Jongin before he could reply Kyungsoo. He hesitated for a brief moment, then turned around to face Sehun, nodding at him. “Send it over.”

Sehun had a hand placed over Jongin’s sword and released at Jongin’s command. A golden cloud-like mist shimmering in the light of the sun began to rise from the sword, moving like liquid with a mind of its own towards Jongin. He opened his mouth and allowed it to enter him, the heavenly fire’s essence burning its way down. Jongin felt it move in his body briefly as it settled into his blood and bones, melting away into him.

“That was pretty,” Kyungsoo murmured.

Jongin faced him again, placing his hand over Kyungsoo’s knee. “I’m doing this for you, Kyungsoo. Maybe I _am_ into you, as you put it. I feel at home when I’m with you, alive and yet settled in here,” Jongin patted his heart. Kyungsoo met Jongin’s heartfelt gaze shyly, his mouth forming a small smile.

“You’re glowing, Jongin. You’re glowing from the inside like a real angel,” was all he said. Jongin looked down at himself and saw that he _was_ glowing with an inner white light, the veins running over his hands visible. He had no doubt the veins in his neck and face was visible too; Jongin was sure he looked rather bizarre. He smiled at Kyungsoo, laughing for some reason that he couldn’t fathom.

“If we make it out alive, Jongin, I promise I’ll take you to the best pizza place in the world,” Kyungsoo breathed, one of his hands reaching out to Jongin. He took Kyungsoo’s hand and kissed his knuckles gently.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Jongin replied. Neither of them wanted to think about what would happen if one of them were to die from this. However, Jongin already made up his mind to do whatever he could for Kyungsoo if he did pass away. He would make sure his soul went to heaven to reside with the Father, no matter the cost.

Sehun cleared his throat behind Jongin. “You wanna do this part or…?” he held up a syringe filled partially with clear liquid questioningly. Jongin reluctantly got up and took the syringe from Sehun, looking at it curiously.

“It’s strong enough to tranquilize an elephant. Just inject a little bit first and I’ll add more if I need to while you deal with Azazel,” Sehun informed him. Sometimes normal tranquilizers didn’t work on humans when they were possessed; Kyungsoo had to be kept unconscious if this was going to be painless. Jongin nodded once curtly and returned to stand before Kyungsoo, syringe in hand.

“I’ve never been put to sleep before,” Kyungsoo said in a faint, amused voice. Jongin bit his lip, feeling like a rock was sitting upon his chest. He didn’t want to do this though he knew he had to. There was no going back if something went wrong.

“It’ll be like falling asleep normally, I promise. And you’ll wake up normal again, too. I’ll make sure of that,” Jongin said, getting down on his knees. He took Kyungsoo’s right hand and turned it palm up to search for a vein. It wasn’t hard to do that with Kyungsoo’s snowy white skin; a long, blue vein stood out starkly on his forearm.

“Wait. Before you do it, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said. The strength behind his voice made Jongin look up at his face.

“Kiss me. Please,” he pleaded softly.

Kyungsoo was not panting anymore but Azazel could surface any second, wrenching Kyungsoo’s soul out of his own body. Jongin should’ve refused his request, stayed true to his morals and the angels’ code but instead he lifted a hand to touch Kyungsoo’s cheek gently and moved upwards to place his lips upon Kyungsoo’s mouth, sinking the syringe into Kyungsoo’s arm at the same time. Jongin knew he should’ve fought against his own desires and emotions but for once he wanted to be honest with himself; and never had he felt any surer about something than he did at that moment when he kissed Kyungsoo, chaste and sweet.

There were things he still wasn’t sure about when it came to Kyungsoo but he knew for a fact that he didn’t want to live this life without him. The only thing that could compare to the way he felt so close to Kyungsoo was his loyalty to the Lord.

Kyungsoo’s head started to loll backwards slowly as Jongin pressed down on the syringe into his arm. Jongin felt him exhale once through his mouth and caught the back of his neck, setting his head carefully on the back of the chair. His eyes were closed now, and Kyungsoo looked peaceful.  

“Are you ready?” Sehun asked. Jongin passed the syringe back to him, taking Kyungsoo’s hands. He still felt warm, a sign that he was still alive. Jongin desperately wanted him to stay that way.

“I am. You’ll inform Suho if anything happens, yes?”

“And Seungsoo too, if something happens to him,” Sehun added. Jongin had given him as much information on Kyungsoo as he could on the way here. With everything set in case their plan fell apart, there was nothing left to do but to face Azazel again for the last time.

Jongin bent his head between Kyungsoo’s knees as if in prayers, holding his hands tightly. He couldn’t push himself into Kyungsoo as he did the first time with Chanyeol but he managed it somehow, moving quickly through the long, black tunnel. It was quiet the last time as he travelled through Kyungsoo’s body but there was a thrumming now even though he was supposed to be asleep. Someone was already there in his mind and body, as alive as Kyungsoo was.

 _‘You think you can save Kyungsoo, Jongin? You think you are a worthy opponent?’_ Azazel’s voice spoke.

 _‘I don’t think it, I know it,’_ Jongin replied.

Azazel’s laugh echoed all around him, sinister and garishly loud. _‘I see the boy’s thoughts, angel. He is in love with you but he will never tell you the truth. The boy does not want to be saved. He wants to be taken away.’_

 _‘You twist his words, filthy demon. If he wants to be taken away, why flatter yourself into thinking he wants to be taken by you?’_ Jongin asked, deliberately riling Azazel up. He could feel the thrumming speeding up around himself when he said that; Azazel was angry.

 _‘Your Father will not have him,’_ Azazel hissed, _‘If there is one thing I do know, it is how much he desires souls such as this boy’s. Pure of heart, an iridescent soul, innocent. It is everything the Lord loves and I shall corrupt it. I will bring this boy down with me the same way the Father did when He cast me out of Heaven when I refused to live under His thumb.’_

 _‘You were disobedient. The Lord does not stand for tardiness,’_ Jongin replied smoothly.

He felt a resistance and guessed he was probably facing the demon now. _‘The Lord would not stand you if He knew what you felt for the boy,’_ Azazel purred. His darkness curled around Jongin’s presence in an icy cold caress, coaxing him to meld with his dark force.

_‘The Lord may disregard me but I will still send you to your rightful place, Azazel. In the ground, living under the different thumb of a tyrant.’_

This angered Azazel and he tried to squash Jongin’s presence with his darkness but Jongin held up his grace first, allowing light to flood the darkness Azazel had created. Jongin waited carefully for that moment of weakness; Azazel was stronger now yet he still was not entirely on this plane. His bond would trip at some point, Jongin was sure, and till then he wouldn’t use the heavenly fire.

Without Chanyeol to help, it was like holding up a ton of rocks on his own. Jongin struggled to hold Azazel back as he waited for that crucial moment, and he was not surprised when the demon started to laugh at him.

 _‘You’re weaker than I thought, angel. Your determination is admirable, but mark my words… I_ **will** _crush you. You won’t last for long, not without your friend to help. It was a grave mistake to come alone.’_ Jongin didn’t waste any energy answering him, trying to keep himself steady. He tried to keep Kyungsoo’s smile in mind, his light-heartedness.

It kept him going even though Azazel pressed down hard on Jongin, threatening to snuff out the light he gave off. They struggled against one another for perhaps a few minutes before Jongin suddenly felt it, a brief jump as if the electricity had gone out for a short moment.

Azazel’s darkness let off on Jongin, and it was just enough time for him to unleash his sword’s power, its heavenly fire burning away the darkness around him instead of just pushing it aside.

The flames were bright even though Jongin couldn’t actually see anything and he knew it was working when Azazel shrieked like a banshee, his voice loud enough for Jongin to know he had to go on. He pushed his grace and the heavenly fire as far as he could into Kyungsoo’s conscious, filling the spaces that Azazel had wrongfully occupied. He felt Azazel rapidly slipping away, losing the grip upon the bond he had with Kyungsoo.

For a fleeting second, Jongin saw Azazel’s face flash across his eyes; he was truly a creature from Hell with beady, slanted eyes and a mouth with layers of sharp teeth. He said something to Jongin; he didn’t quite catch it but he didn’t wait to find out anyway.

Jongin allowed the heavenly fire to burn away the last of Azazel’s touch in Kyungsoo’s mind before he started to pull it all back in towards himself. Heavenly fire could do damage even to humans sometimes; it could burn away memories, the ability to use the five senses. He wasn’t about to do that to Kyungsoo, not after all the effort he’d just gone through to save him.

 _‘Jongin?’_ a voice suddenly called. It sounded far away. Jongin couldn’t think of a way to reply so he waited, trying to discern who the voice belonged to.

 _‘Jongin, I don’t know if you can hear me but can you please come out now ‘cause Kyungsoo is coughing up blood here,’_ the voice continued. It was Sehun’s voice.

Jongin couldn’t feel anything different in Kyungsoo’s mind, why would he be coughing?

Then he suddenly noticed it, the way the quiet of Kyungsoo’s mind around seemed to creep closer around him like a house of cards folding in on itself. The heavenly fire had distracted him from it, but now that he was concentrating, Jongin could feel it like a hand pressing on his neck. It wasn’t like Azazel’s darkness; there was no evil presence, no insidious whispers. No, this was the inevitable quiet of _approaching death_.

He rushed out of Kyungsoo’s conscious, re entering his body and jerking up with a start. Jongin blinked his eyes for a moment, adjusting to the bright light around him. Everything spun in his vision like a whirlpool, thoroughly confusing Jongin.

“Jongin, Jesus fucking Christ— Jongin, help me out here!” Sehun shouted.

When Jonginforcefully blinked his eyes to register what he was seeing, he almost couldn’t believe it. Horror crawled its way up his throat as he realized Kyungsoo _was_ coughing up blood, copious amounts of it spattered down his front and dripping all over the ground around him. Sehun was trying to hold his head at an angle to let all the blood flow down in case it choked Kyungsoo but it didn’t seem to be much use. More blood just kept dribbling out of his mouth and nose.

“Is he conscious?” Jongin asked, looking down at his shaking hands. The glow of the heavenly fire still lit him up from the inside, and little ruby droplets dotted his skin.

“No, I-I don’t think so. He snorts a little bit of blood out every once in a while but I think it’s just an unconscious thing,” Sehun grunted, wiping the blood off his hands onto his shirt. Jongin took over for Sehun, holding Kyungsoo’s limp head up while blood continued to drip its way down his shirt.

“This is— this is bad, Jongin, really bad. There’s no way he can make the hospital in time, and what are we gonna say—” Sehun’s voice faded out as Jongin watched the scene unfold before his eyes. Kyungsoo was dying and Jongin didn’t know what to do, hadn’t expected this to happen. He’d wanted to save him so badly he had forgotten to think about what fighting a demon from inside might do to Kyungsoo.

 _It’s my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault,_ Jongin thought, thumbing Kyungsoo’s lower lip.  He had destroyed Kyungsoo from the inside.

“I know what I can do,” he said, gritting his teeth together. There was one last resort to save Kyungsoo, one that angels were forbidden to do,ever. But Jongin didn’t want to be an angel anymore if it meant not having Kyungsoo in his life.

“What?” Sehun asked, panicked. With each second they wasted, Kyungsoo was moving closer to the brink of death.

“I’ll give him my grace,” Jongin said tersely, gesturing for Sehun to hold Kyungsoo’s head up properly.”B-but—” Sehun tried to protest. They both knew what that implied but Jongin was beyond caring. He began to undo the chains around Kyungsoo’s body, swinging them away and placing them in large loops on the ground.

“Jongin, you’re not allowed to do that! Jesus, you don’t even know if it’ll save him at this point—”

“You’re the one telling me nothing matters anymore,” Jongin shouted vehemently, tears in his eyes, “you’re the one who told me there was nothing in loving a boy like Kyungsoo, and if the Father didn’t want me to love him then he wouldn’t have given me the option to save his life,” Jongin was shaking now, looking up at Sehun. His words echoed back at him, bouncing off the metal walls of the warehouse.

“What’s the point of being an angel if I can’t see him anymore?” Jongin pleaded, more to himself, to God, the only Father Jongin had ever known, rather than Sehun.

“I’m not going to tell anyone if you do it,” Sehun shook his head. Even if he did, Jongin would still consider giving Kyungsoo his grace the best decision he’d ever make. He would do anything to see him alive and well again.

Without preamble, Jongin pushed Sehun aside and stood over Kyungsoo, holding his bloody mouth open by pressing his jaw gently. Sehun stood by their side, expression stony as he watched Jongin take a deep breath. He’d had never done this before, give away his grace to someone else, but he brought it forth anyway, allowing it to gather in his chest. It felt as if his soul was draining out his body as he lowered his mouth to brush his lips over Kyungsoo’s, allowing his grace to leave him in a trail of shimmery white light.

It faded as it entered Kyungsoo, settling into him. Jongin tried to will it to fix whatever was wrong inside of him, to correct whatever mistakes Jongin had made because Kyungsoo had to be alive, Jongin needed him to stay alive; there was still things he wanted to do with him, things he wanted to whisper in his ear…

Sehun abruptly tugged Jongin away from Kyungsoo, grabbing him by the collar. “Shit, dude, you can’t give him all of it or you won’t live to see Kyungsoo open his eyes,” Sehun hissed at him. Jongin blinked blearily at him, knees going weak. Sehun had to grab at him, holding him up with a frown.

“J-Jongin? Jongin, don’t you black out on me,” he threatened, watching Jongin’s eyes slide shut. Sehun’s voice was fading away, moving further and further away from Jongin. He could see Kyungsoo behind his eyelids, giggling as he ran away from Jongin’s reach and into darkness

“Come back,” Jongin croaked in a low voice.

“How the fuck am I going to get you two outta this place?” Sehun grumbled. It was the last thing Jongin heard before he buckled under his own weight.

 

 

*

 

 

All Jongin felt was calm. A final sort of calm, as if everything was done and over. There was no more he could do and everything else had already been said and done. He felt like he’d just placed the last full stop on a sentence he’d been writing ever since he came into existence.

 


	3. oh baby, I'm just human (don't you know I have faults like anyone else?)

A stroke of the forehead woke him up, dragged the sleep out of his eyes.

Jongin groaned, turning away. His entire body felt sore, like someone had punched him everywhere all over his body. Someone hushed Jongin and he continued to lay down, head pillowed by something firm but still remarkably soft.

“Jongin, are you awake?” a voice whispered. He stilled. Jongin could recognize that voice from anywhere.

He opened his eyes and light flooded his vision. Jongin turned away, irises protesting in pain. The only time he’d ever experienced this was when he was in his home dimension, surrounded by dozens of angels like who glowed with an impossibly bright light. Jongin didn’t think he was in his home dimension because of the voice he’d just heard (and from the way his eyes hurt so badly from the light) though now that he thought about it, his idea of real heaven would definitely include Kyungsoo.

“K…Kyungsoo?” he mumbled, cracking one eyelid open carefully. The light was still there above his head, but it wasn’t so bright anymore. It had faded into the background and a pair of familiar dark eyes peeked at him, blinking curiously.

 _Goodness_ , Jongin thought in wonder, it really was Kyungsoo.

He sat up quickly, almost knocking Kyungsoo over in the process. He apologized hurriedly then looked down at Kyungsoo and himself; they were dressed in clothes that looked vaguely familiar and looked baggy on Kyungsoo, whereas it fitted Jongin surprisingly well. Jongin reached for Kyungsoo first, fingers hovering anxiously over him to make sure he was alright.

“Hey, hey, I’m fine, Jongin,” Kyungsoo laughed, catching his hands in his own. They were in a room, sitting on a bed together with their bare feet tangled. Kyungsoo happened to turn his face away from Jongin for a second and he spotted a red mark on his cheek.

“What’s this then?” Jongin asked worriedly, pointing at Kyungsoo’s cheek.

“Oh, that,” Kyungsoo mumbled, smiling wryly at Jongin. “ _That_ was the only way we could ever make it into Sehun’s apartment.”

“So listen, Kyungsoo, I don’t mean to come off sounding selfish but when are you guys gonna leave my bedroom so—” Sehun barged in through the door behind Jongin then cut himself off mid sentence when he noticed that he was awake.

“Ah. So you’re awake. Excellent,” Sehun said, holding a plate in one hand. Kyungsoo smiled gratefully at him.

“Hey, Sehun. Jongin just woke up here, and I was about to tell him how we got here in your apartment,” Kyungsoo grinned at Jongin, keeping his hand in Jongin’s.

“Are we in your apartment right now?” Jongin asked Sehun.

“Yes. You’ve been here for almost two days and I can hardly keep myself alive anymore from taking care of the both of you,” Sehun snarled. Kyungsoo just laughed at Sehun’s surly expression and inched closer to Jongin.

“But how are you feeling, Jongin? Sehun told me you collapsed,” Kyungsoo said in his ear.

That reminded Jongin; he had given away his grace to Kyungsoo, but how much? Giving all of it away would leave him dead, while giving too little would’ve meant _Kyungsoo_ was dead, not alive. He brought his hands to touch his face curiously, trying to feel out any differences. He didn’t think he felt anything other than the full body soreness.

“I-I think I’m alright. W-what…?”

“You collapsed after you gave your grace to Kyungsoo. You know, you could’ve been dead, Jongin,” Sehun pointed out, “If you hadn’t taken the heavenly fire from your sword, you wouldn’t be here right now, taking up space in my apartment.”

“What does that make me?” Jongin asked slowly. The glow from the heavenly fire had disappeared from inside of him and his arms appeared to be normal again, but was he still an angel? If he still was, then there were consequences he’d have to face soon at Suho’s hands…

“I think you’re human now, Jongin,” Sehun said with a smirk. “You had a little nosebleed too and it wasn’t iridescent like it used to be.”

 _You’re human_ , the words echoed in Jongin’s head.

That was all he ever wanted to be, other than to have Kyungsoo by his side. Jongin looked at him with wide eyes. Could it be that easy? He’d heard of angels’ souls being extinguished once their grace was given away to another or their wings burning away with the power of hellfire. Surely, being human couldn’t be the price.

“I can see you’re really happy to be human now, Jongin, but it isn’t all that cheery. If you’re going to keep staying, you’re gonna have to start paying,” Sehun quipped.

Jongin nodded as Sehun dumped the plate he’d been holding all this while onto the table by the door before he slammed out of the room, leaving Kyungsoo and Jongin alone once again. Jongin turned to face Kyungsoo and kissed him first before anything else, relishing in his warmth and the feel of his mouth. He’d never felt happier in his life, not even when the Lord gazed upon him, not even when he came down to Earth with his God-given mission.

All he ever wanted or needed, though he didn’t know it before, was the closeness only a mortal could give. Kyungsoo.

“A-are you sad that you’re not an angel anymore?” Kyungsoo pulled away to mumble. He brushed Jongin’s hair away, looking into his eyes. Jongin felt like Kyungsoo was looking into his soul but he welcomed it, placing his forehead against Kyungsoo’s. His chest felt warm, light, everything else that was good.

“No. I’m only sad I didn’t do this sooner,” Jongin answered honestly.

He was no longer an angel, a being who wielded power and executed the Lord’s wishes. Jongin was just a mortal now under the watchful eyes of the Lord, and there was nothing else he’d rather be, than to be in love with Kyungsoo.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of trivia for y’all: Sehun is a human with special abilities as you can tell in the fic. He was orphaned when he was very young and rescued by an angel working in the police force, who brought him to Suho once the angel realized that Sehun wasn’t just a normal child.
> 
> They took care of him (not exactly legally ofc) and taught him everything about the occult, about religion and also how to wield his ability to its fullest, so when he turned 16 he was told to swear his allegiance to the angels in return for raising him and to help them with their mission.The thing is his ability kills him just a little inside every time he ‘expands’ it so he (with the persuasion of other angels* who cared more for his health than his usefulness) decided that he would go out on the streets alone rather than slowly kill himself.
> 
> As a result, his life has been pretty difficult because he never went to high school or college but has since made a living off selling things online and gambling too Jso he isn’t as helpless and poor as Jongin thinks. And for a bunch of people ready to kick Sehun out the minute he wore out his usefulness, the angels are pretty sneaky. They still bug him for info from time to time, eg. Jongin.
> 
> *Another bit of trivia: the one angel Sehun doesn’t push away is Luhan :------) but Luhan isn’t on Earth because the archangels called him off his mission some time back and he returned to his home dimension, so they don’t get to see each other except in Sehun’s dreams.
> 
> He wants to cut off the connection to Luhan because it makes him angry that he can’t see or touch Luhan but ofc we all know that is a dickhead move and Luhan is an angel who can visit him in his dreams whenever the hell he wants whether or not the archangels approve (or Sehun, for that matter).So yes, just a little back story in case u think he’s a dick L


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